Know Your Enemy
by Madison Dyann
Summary: I was an average teenage girl. I enjoyed my ordinary life. There existed only one unusual thing about me. A meager detail about me that no one knew except me and evidently the United States government. I was a mutant.
1. Chapter 1

**I tossed my long auburn hair out of my face as I glared down at the paper in front of me. I shifted in the miserable wooden desk. I was almost finished with my English final and with that almost finished with my sophomore year of high school. I glanced down at the paper and read the final question, which was labeled _Extra Credit_. The question read, _Name that dies in Hameach character let._ In my neat girlie handwriting, I quickly wrote down,_ Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern_. I then quietly got up to put the test on the teacher's desk. As I laid it down, the bell rang singling that school was over.**

**I calmly walked to my locker, while avoiding getting hit by kids running through the halls. Once I was at my locker, I grabbed my charcoal backpack and swung it onto my shoulder. By the time I was outside the school, most of the other students were gone. I walked away from the school, towards my home. My home was in Boston, Massachusetts. I lived there with my adoptive parents. My real parents had died in a plane crash when I was a baby. I've lived with the Danes ever since.**

**I was almost off school property when an expensive looking black car pulled up along side of me. The back passenger door opened, but no one got up. I stopped where I was and glared at the car and the open door. It didn't move and no one exited the car. Finally I slowly and attentively walked up to the car and got in. I slowly pulled the door shut behind me. I wasn't sure what I anticipated when I got in that car. I'm wasn't even sure why I got in the car. But I did.**

**Inside the car, sitting contently on the black leather interior was a man. A man dressed in a military uniform. There was a lot of medals pinned to his jacket. His hair was starting to gray but he still looked rather young. I remained silent as I looked at him. I felt the car pull away from the curb and continued down the street. He was the one to break the silence that had engulfed the car. "Lorna Dane, my name is William Stryker. I work for the United States government." He stopped as if he excepted me to say something in return. I remained silent but I slowly put my hand on the door handle, prepared to jump out if necessary. Stryker continued to speak. ", I'm going to put this bluntly. I know what you can do." His voice held no shock or disgust in it as I except when someone learned about my secret. My hand stiffen around the door handle but I kept my silence.**

**Stryker didn't seem too alarmed by my silence. "I'm putting together a special team. A team of people like you. You won't have keep your power bottled up anymore. You won't have to be afraid of someone discovering your secret. You won't have to dye your hair anymore."**

**I got uncomfortable at the mention of my dyed hair. No one knew that except my parents. I wasn't a natural brunette. My real hair color was a pale green. I kept my hair dyed to avoid people's questions and stares. There was also a part of me that wanted to fit in and not be different but I would never admit it. All this prompted me to ask, "What exactly to you know about me?"**

**"You have the ability to sense and control magnetism, including manipulating metals. You can also manipulate the Earth's magnetic field to allow yourself to fly, generate magnetic energy pulses, and create force fields. But that's just the things you've discovered you can do. You have so much more potential." Stryker said.**

**I immediately became angry that this man knew so much about me. "Sorry, but I'm not interested." I said coldly.**

**"Medical school is very expensive. Do your parents have that kind of money? We'll pay for your college. All of it. All your expenses paid. But only if you join." Stryker said quickly.**

**I took no time to thing about it. "When do we leave?"**


	2. Chapter 2

**"Right now." Stryker said. His voice was full of approval.**

**I couldn't find my voice for a minute. "Uh...seriously? What about my parents?" I said in unsureness.**

**"It's all taken care of." Stryker said collectedly.**

*****

**Thirty six hours later I was on a jet headed for some location in Nigeria. Stryker didn't tell us why we were going to Africa. He really didn't say anything at all. I was wearing a pair of dark jeans, an olive colored shirt and a black jacket. I was able to find time to strip the dye out of my hair and return it to its natural green color. I currently had it up in a loose pony tail.**

**There were eight men on the plane with me, including Stryker. I felt slightly anxious being the only girl but I eventually got over it. Wade, the man I was sitting next to, was sharping a long metal sword. The sharp continuous sound of it was starting to give me a headache. "I love this weapon more than anything in the whole wide world. You wanna know why?" Wade said.**

**"No." Victor and I said at the same time. They both gave me a inquisitive look. Wade disregarded our answer and continued talking.**

**"It's memorable. Sure it's a little big. Tough to get on a plane. But you whip out a couple of swords at your ex-girlfriend's wedding, they will never ever forget." Wade said grandly.**

**"That's funny, Wade. I think you confused me with someone who gives a shit." Victor said menacingly.**

**"Right. It's probably not as intimidating as having a gun or bone claws or green hair or the fingernails of a bag lady." Wade said.**

**Getting aggravated, I slowly lifted Wade's sword into the air and took it out of his reach. He displayed a very concerned look on his face. "If you say one more thing about my hair I will crush this into oblivion." I said casually.**

**"Okay, I'm sorry." Wade said quickly. I quietly gave him back his beloved sword. "Jesus." I heard Wade say under his breath. I glared at him which made him change the subject. "Fred got a new tattoo. I'm concerned."**

**"Ah, Jesus. Fred, you just met her last night." James, Victor's younger brother, said turning to Fred, who was next to him.**

**"I love her." Fred explained. He seemed slightly embarrassed.**

**"You love her after one night?' James asked.**

**"She's a gymnast." Fred said proudly as if that was an excused for loving her.**

**'Bradley, take us down." Stryker said. Instantly I felt the jet start to decline. Bradley made the jet took a sharp left which upset James.**

**"Are you gonna puke?" Fred asked, as he took a bite of his candy bar.**

**"If we were meant to fly, we'd grow wings." James said.**

**"Oh, don't worry. More people die driving than flying." Agent Zero said sarcastically.**

**"How about impaling?" James asked.**

**"Hey. Now be nice." John said. "Or your idea of 'nice'. Would you like a bucket?"**

*****

**We landed a few minutes later. We walked through the city until we reach a tall building surrounded by a lot of construction equipment. I looked up at the building. Only four light were on and they all were on the top floor. "Why are we here?" James asked from the front of the group.**

**"All in good time." Was Stryker only response. "Zero."**

**Zero calmly walked to the front gate, which was surround by men. When they spotted him, they quickly took cover and aimed their guns. Zero slowly put his hands up and moved them towards the back of his head. Then he grabbed the two guns that were holstered on his back and shot all the men that were by the gate. "Show off." I muttered as Zero continued to shoot people. When he was finished, Zero finally opened the gate. Victor ran in ahead of us and disappeared.**

**"Fred." Stryker said, smirking.**

**"The tank?" He asked.**

**"The tank."**

**"Yea. I got that." Fred quickly destroyed the tank by blocking the missile from exiting.**

**"I'm sorry, but am I missing something? Couldn't she do all that?" Wade said gesturing at me.**

**"I have to give them something to do, don't I?" Stryker said laughing. Together we quickly entered the building and piled into the elevator. I was unlucky enough to end up standing next to Wade. After a few floors the elevator stopped and the lights went out.**

**"Great. Stuck in an elevator with five guys on a high protein diet. At least I got you with me." Wade put his arm around my shoulders and hugged me. "It's a dream come true." I quickly shoved his arm off me.**

**"Shut it, Wade. You're up next." Stryker said from the corner.**

**"Thank you, sir. You look really nice today. It's the green. It brings out the seriousness in your eyes." Wade said casually. I was struggling to keep my laughter under control.**

**"Oh, my God. Do you ever shut up, pal?" James asked.**

**"No, not when I'm awake." He said, seriously.**

**"Bradley. Top floor please." Stryker said. The elevator started to move again.**

**When we reached the top floor Wade said, "Time to go to work." Everyone moved out the area that would be vulnerable except from me. I wasn't in the mood to be pushed against a wall, so I kept me place. The elevator doors opened, Wade ran out, and then they closed again. I could hear gunshots coming from the room. A few seconds later we heard Wade's voice say, "Okay..... people are dead."**

**"Why couldn't that have taken longer?" I said quietly to myself.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bradley quickly reopened the elevator doors. There was about six bodies laying on the ground. There was a lot bullets holes in the cerement walls. When the elevator doors closed, I noticed that there was also holes in it too. The room we stood in was not very big. There were a few tables lining the walls and one at the very end, facing the elevator. Sitting at that table was a very rattled but calm man. Stryker said, "If you didn't have that mouth on you, Wade, you'd be the perfect solider." Wade just rolled his eyes.**

**I noticed the man at the table was slowly moving his hand under it. John must have noticed it too, because he pointed his large gun at him and said, "I wouldn't do that, brother." The man brought his hand back up into view.**

**"Take the diamonds." The man said in a heavily accented form of English. He rested his hands on the arms of his chair. "They're your's."**

**"I don't want your diamonds." Stryker picked up a large black rock that was set on the man's desk. "I want this."**

**"That? That is nothing. A souvenir." The man said, flustered.**

**"Where did you find it? I want the source." Stryker said in a very ominous voice.**

**"A small village. Far inland. Three days from here." The man said.**

*****

**I found the journey to the small village very irritating. Wade would not quit talking the entire way. I don't think I would have minded it that much if he hadn't been talking to me most of the time.**

**"Hey, Lorna. How old are you?" Wade asked after his maximum 15 seconds of silence. I was slightly taken aback by his question that it took me a second to answer.**

**"....16. Why?" I said apathetically.**

**"You're lying. You're 16? Isn't that illegal?" Wade said turning to the guys around him. No one seemed particularly surprised at the new information.**

**"What, Wade? Are you disappointed?" I heard Victor say from behind Wade. Wade didn't respond.**

**"Wow. For once you're speechless." I said sarcastically.**

*****

**Stryker made all the villagers gather in the center of the village. None of them spoke any English so Wade had to translate. "Tell him this is more valuable to me than his life. And ask him where he found it." Stryker said, showing the black rock to the village leader. Wade translated.**

**"He said it came from the sky." Wade said, slightly baffled by the man's answer.**

**"He's telling the truth." James said, abruptly.**

**"You don't know the language, Logan." Stryker said using James' last name.**

**"It's a meteor fragment." James said.**

**"I know what it is, I'm asking him where he found it." Stryker said. "Tell him, everyone here will die unless he tells me where he found the rock." He said to Wade.**

**"Uh, sir." I said. Everyone turned to look at me. They all seemed shocked every time I spoke. "I can find it. There's no point in killing all these people." I said. I could find. The rock had bits of metal in it.**

**"It'll be faster if he tells us." Stryker said, not bothering to look at me.**

**Wade asked the leader the question. "He says that's it's sacred." Wade said slightly disappointed.**

**"Okay, fine. Victor." Stryker said as he turned his back on the situation. He looked up at the sky not really seeing anything. With a smile, Victor grabbed the village's leader by the throat and twisted. I could hear the snap of his neck. After that, chaos ensued. I couldn't take my eyes off the dead man's body as the rest of the villagers were killed in multiple ways. I didn't even see James tackle Zero to the ground. I only saw him keep Victor from killing another person. I was too far to hear what they were saying but clearly they were arguing. I was only able to hear two words that James said, "I'm done." He walked off towards the edge of the village.**

**"Jimmy," Victor yelled. James stopped walking and turned back around. "We can't just let you walk away." In responds James tore his dog tags off and threw them on the ground. He then walked into the jungle and disappeared.**

**There was a small part of me that wanted to follow him. But I kept my place. Wade must have seen the uncertainty on face because he asked me, "Are you leaving too?" Everyone else turned to hear my answer.**

**It took me a few seconds to decide on my answer, "No. Running into the jungle at night alone doesn't seem like a smart thing to me. Especially in the rain." I added the last part as small droplets of water started to fall from the dark sky.**


	4. Chapter 4

**"Lorna, you're up." Stryker said, breaking the intensely awkward silence.**

**"Right now?" I asked, gesturing towards the now heavy down pour of rain.**

**"No, next week. Yes, now!" Stryker said. His voice was very bitter.**

**"Give me the damn rock." I marched over to him and pulled the piece of rock out of his hands. I turned the heavy rock over in my hands. After I got an concept of the metal we were looking for, I lifted my head. I scanned the forest around me. After a few minutes of staring at the jungle, I was finally able to sense where the rock came from. "It's about two miles east of here." I said with no emotion. Not bothering to see if they followed, I marched into the forest.**

*****

**"Hey, Lorna." I heard an all too familiar voice say from behind me.**

**I sighed heavily. "What, Wade?"**

**"You said you were from Boston, right?" Wade said.**

**I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Wade." Even I could hear the annoyance in my voice.**

**"Then where's you accent?" The stupidity of his question made me stop walking.**

**"I was born in San Francisco. I moved to Boston when I was ten. And that is the reason I have no accent. Now is that all you wanted to know or do you want to play 20 question?" I resumed walking.**

**"Yea, how the hell do you know where you're going? It's raining and it's dark." His statement sounded more like a complaint to me but I answered any ways.**

**"We are roughly six degrees and 27 minutes north of the equator and three degrees and 24 minutes west of the meridian passing through Greenwich, England." Wade's face was priceless. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I could tell that he did not understand a single word I said. "Trust me, Wade. I know where I'm going."**

**"What are you? So kind of walking, talking compass?" I heard Wade say sarcastically.**

**I smiled to myself. "Yes, Wade. Think of me as a compass." I laughed softly.**

**"A very, very cute compass." Wade added smugly.**

**"Will you two shut up?" Zero said. "I do not know who's worse, you or him."**

**"We're here." I ignored Zero. I walked out of the trees and stepped into a small clearing. In the center was a rock that looked very similar to the one in my hand except it was much larger. Smaller pieces of rock surrounded it. I moved out of the way as Stryker walked further into the clearing for a better look. I watched as a wide smile stretched across his face. He reminded me of a child on Christmas.**

**"Great job, Lorna." He patted me on the back.**

**"Yea. No problem." I said not sharing his enthusiasm.**


	5. Chapter 5

**As the night wore on the rain started stopped. I leaned against the rock as Stryker ordered Bradley to send for transportation. I allowed my fingers to trace the surface of the rock as I glared at the ground. I was able to ignored the sound that was around me until the only thing I heard was brief tinkles of water that fell occasionally. I concentrated on the sound of the droplets. This allowed me to keep from thinking. From remembering what had happened little more than a hour ago. I was broken out of my trance when I felt someone looking at me.**

**I lifted my head and glanced across the small clearing. I expected to see Wade but instead my eyes were met by the eyes of Victor. The meaning in his eyes sent shivers down my spine. When he noticed that I was looking at him, he smiled. His smile held the same emotion as his eyes. Being looked at as if I were his prey made me uneasy. Victor refused to avert his eyes from me. I barely noticed the silence that made fallen on the group. The seconds that ticked by felt like eons. Out of the corner of my eye I could tell that the others were tense and anxious. None of them knew what had brought this on or how it was going to end.**

**Victor was the one to break the silence. Even though he talked normally his voiced seemed to echo throughout the clearing. "Can I help you, Lorna?" This voice was kind but I could sense the malice in it.**

**I waited a few seconds before I replied. "I'd appreciate it if you'll stop looking at me like that." My voice was strong and unfaltering. "It makes me uncomfortable." I had no problem telling him that. He could already see it on my face. Before Victor could respond the sound of two helicopters announced the arrival of our transportation. I returned my eyes to the ground as the helicopters landed skillfully into to the clearing.**

*****

**A few minutes later the two helicopters lifted off the ground. One carrying us and the other carrying the meteor. I chose to sit between Fred and Zero instead of my regular seat on the end. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I was asleep before we started to cross the Atlantic Ocean.**

*****

**I awoke just as we were landing at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. I appeared to be the only one you fell asleep beside Fred, whose head was resting on my shoulder. As the helicopter landed, I shook him. "Fred." I whispered. He quickly opened his eyes and straightened up. Together we slowly got off the helicopter. I tired to avoid walking next Victor so walked next to Bradley. As we walked, he gave a small simple smile. The smile some how made me feel better about my choice of becoming part of his team.**


	6. Chapter 6

**"Feet _off_ the table, Lorna." Stryker said as he entered the room we were all gathered in. The room was bare. Four concrete walls kept us from the rest of the fort. The only furniture in the room was the long metal table we were sitting at. It took me a moment to realize that he was talking to me. I slowly put my feet on the floor and straightened up. Stryker passed each of us a vanilla colored folder. The folder wasn't really thick seeing how it only contained a few pages.**

**I quickly flipped the folder open. I disregarded the writing because my eyes instantly went to the picture. The man in the picture was no older than 23. His eyes were an unnatural amber color. His bronze hair reached pass his chin to his neck. I heard John say from across the "Remy LeBeau?"**

**" is a very dangerous mutant. Your mission is to capture him." Stryker said standing at the head of the table.**

**"What's going to happen to him after we get him?" I asked, curious.**

**"That's not important, right now." Stryker said. I was beginning to get really annoyed with Stryker and his unwillingness to tell us things.**

**"..._uses the bio-kinetic energy his body produces to convert the potential energy of non-organic matter into kinetic energy. The conversion process often results in a violent and powerful explosion._ Sounds fun." Wade said, smiling. He continued to read. " ....._also possesses a hypnotic charm that allows him to exert a subtle influence over sentient beings, leading them to believe what he says and agree with his suggestions_. Don't let him near, Lorna." Wade laughed.**

**"Screw you." I said, not bothering to look at him.**

**"Is that an offer?" Wade said. I could hear the longing in his voice. My only response was to pull Wade's chair out from under him. The metal chair hit the wall as Wade hit the ground.**

**"Oops. My bad." I said sarcastically as Wade pulled himself back up.**

**"No offense, Lorna. But this does sound like a job for you." Zero said. I could tell that he was trying not to smile.**

**"What's the suppose to mean?" I said, not liking the way they were thinking.**

**"It say he hangs out at a casino in New Orleans. All you have to do is lead him into the ally behind and well take it from there." Zero said carefully. He didn't really want to offend me.**

**"What do you mean 'lead'?" I said slowly. The answer was clearly written on Zero's face. "No. There's no way in hell I am doing that." I yelled across the table at him. "I don't even know how to do that." I added.**

**"Hell, Lorna. It's not that hard to seduce a guy. Besides he'll probably be the one doing to the seducing." Wade said. I would have hit him it I could have reached him.**


	7. Chapter 7

**"I can't believe I'm doing this. This is so degrading." I mumbled to myself as I sat in the back of the large black SUV. I was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white halter top, and my hair was dyed blond and was pushed back into a styled pony tail. The black high heels felt odd on my feet. I sighed heavily, "This isn't going to work."**

**"Well, it won't with an attitudes like that." John said from the seat behind me.**

**"Yeah, Lorna. Lighten up. At least pretend to have fun. Who's know, you may have some." Wade said. He made it clear that he found this whole situation hilarious. I ignored him, which caused him to keep talking. "You look good as a blond. It's sexy. But your make up makes you look like a total prostitute." I continued to stare out the car window at downtown New Orleans, but I flipped Wade the bird without saying a word. I knew he was joking about my make up because I barely had any on. I was never a big fan of make up.**

**"That's not a very lady like thing to do, Lorna." Victor said from the seat next to me. I was unlucky in the fact that I was the last in the car so I had no choice in where I sat.**

**"I blame you guys." I said, still looking out the window.**

**The car pulled to the curb. Zero, Wade and I quickly jumped out. Both Wade and Zero wore dressed as civilians. They were there to blend in and help if something went wrong, which I knew something would. Due to my inexperience with heels, I tripped taking my first step. I would have fell on my face if I didn't fall into Zero first. I groaned loudly. "I shouldn't have worn these shoes."**

**The Louisiana air was warm and humid. I walked behind Wade, while Zero walked besides me. The only thing I seemed to be able to focus on was how slow Wade was walking. "Can you walk any slower?" I said coldly as I walked around him.**

**"Maybe if you ask nicer."**

**The sidewalk became more crowed as we got nearer to the casino. I didn't bother to see if Wade or Zero were keeping up with me. I didn't care. I just wanted to get this thing over with. The casino was located in an older building in the middle of New Orleans. There was a small group of guys standing outside smoking. I ignored their curious glares as I handed the doorman my fake I.D. The man looked from me to the piece of plastic in hands and then back to me. The man smiled as he handed back my I.D. He then moved out of the way, so I could enter.**

**In the back of my mind I hoped that the doorman would see through the fake I.D. It would have saved me from this difficult and slightly humiliating task that I was forced to deal with. But a part of me wanted to do this. To prove to everyone that I wasn't just a kid. That I was capable of dealing with things. That I was an important asset to the group. Maybe if I did this, the others would see me as their equal.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The inside of the casino was not what I expected. While the exterior was slightly worn down the inside was practically new. Dark wood paneling reached halfway the red walls. The dark floor appeared to be stain free. A few shiny slot machine lined the east wall while couple pool table were by the west wall. Against the back was the bar. And in the middle of the large room was an arrangement of poker, blackjack and craps tables.**

**I stood by the door for a few minutes just taking in my surroundings. I noticed that room had a strange fog and smell in it. I realized that it was cigarette smoke. I watched some of it float up to the dim lights and I thought to myself, _If I get cancer, I'm sueing._**

**"You're man is the one walking to the bar in the brown jacket." Wade whispered in my ear. "We'll be by the poker table if you need any help. Remember, be yourself." He said as he patted my on the shoulder and then walked further into the smoke filled room.**

**"Good luck." Zero said as he followed Wade . I carefully maneuvered through maze of people on my way to the bar. As I moved pass a crowed craps table, the smoke got denser and it caused me to gag. I wasn't use to cigarette smoke, for neither of my parents or friends ever smoked. I all but ran from the table to the slightly less crowded bar.**

**There wasn't very many open seats left at the bar but I was able to get one next to Remy LeBeau. I quietly sat down the on metal stool. The bartender just gave me a questioning look while he waited from me to order. I knew he was trying to decide if I had been carded at the front door. When I opened my mouth to order my mind went blank for a second. I wasn't sure what to order. I had never drank alcohol aside from a few slips of my mom's wine at New Year's. "....I'll just have a Screwdriver." I said the first thing that came to mind. The bartender must have been satisfied by my answer because he placed the orange colored drink in front of me and then walked away.**

**Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Remy glance at me when I ordered. "How'd you get in?" His asked.**

**"Excuse me?" I asked, really confused by his question. For some reason my heart beat quicken when I looked at him and even more when he returned the look.**

**"You look a little young to have come in through the front door." He said with a smile on his face. Apparently everyone but the doorman thought I too young.**

**I took a drink to buy me some time to think of a response. I was surprised that the screwdriver didn't taste that bad. "I came in through the back door but don't tell anyone." It wasn't until after I said that I realized how stupid that comment sounded. I could have punched myself.**

**If Remy felt the same way he didn't let on. He continued to smile as he said, "Do you do that often?"**

**I shook my head. "No. I don't get out much." Which was the truth. Even back before I joined the team, I was a slightly antisocial person. I preferred to spend most of my time alone.**

**"I'm Remy LeBeau." He held out his hand.**

**"Lorna Dane." Remy took my hand and kiss it. If I wasn't sitting down I probably would have collapsed.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Two hours and five Screwdrivers later we were still sitting at the bar talking to each other. I couldn't really remember what we had talked about. It was just a bunch of random things. I was so invested in the conversation that I didn't even notice that I was drinking so much. I didn't feel any different even through I had consumed a large amount of alcohol. I knew I would regret it later when all the alcohol finally reached my blood stream. I was sure five drinks would be too much for my one hundred and fifteen pound body to handle.**

I was able to sneak a glance across the room to where Zero and Wade were standing. Zero was staring off in space with a bored expression on his face. Wade was staring at Remy and I but I was trying not to make it obvious. When he met my eyes, he tapped his wrist where a watch would be if he ever worn one. Hurry up.

Now came the hard part, getting Remy to leave with me through the back door. I was sure I could get him to leave with me. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was the back door. He might find it odd if I insisted on leaving through the back door. At least I would find it odd if I was him. I glance at the front door. The front of the casino was much more crowd than the back part. There was numerous table placed by the door. Most of chairs were occupied. I also saw people standing on the small flight of stairs that separated the sitting area from the rest of the casino. I remembered how I had to slowly guide my feet down the steps. I would never be able to go back up them with the shoes I had on and the five drinks I had in me. At least I wouldn't be able to without falling a couple times, which I was something I was not interested in doing.

My mind was spinning as I tried to think of an useful excuse. I was starting to get a headache when one came to me. One that I was sure would work. One that I hoped would work. "You wouldn't happen to know what time it is?" I said in the most sweet and mature voice I could muser. I was fully aware of what time it was.

Remy looked up at the small clock above the bar that I had spotted when I first entered the casino. "1:23. Don't tell me you have to go?" His voice was full of disappointment.

I smiled sadly. "My flight leaves at ten and I still have to pack." I told Remy that I was on vacation in New Orleans from Boston. It was the truth. Basically.

"I don't supposed I could talk you into missing you flight and staying with me." He said casually.

My heart was about to beat out of my chest. A wide smiled made its way on to my face. "Sorry." I said. My voice was full sincere regretfulness.

Remy appeared to have expected my answer. "Well, can I at least walk you to your hotel?"

"Sure." I said almost too eagerly. I carefully stood up, for I was unsure of how much balance I had. To my surprise I felt nothing. No dizziness. My legs were a little numb from sitting so long, but that was it. Remy stood up next to me. I was shocked by how tall he was. Even with heels on, he was still a good five inches taller than me.

Remy casually put his arm around my shoulders. I wasn't sure if I should have felt uncomfortable with his boldness but I didn't say anything. As he started to walked towards the front door, pulling me lightly beside him, I said, "Um. Would you mind if we went through the back?" I said innocently. His only response was a curious look. "I not good with stairs, especially in heels."

He laughed softly. "Sure. No problem." He said as he switched his direction. I exhaled quietly. I risked a glance back to where Wade and Zero were. Zero was no longer staring into space. He was on the phone, speaking quickly to the person on the other end. Wade gave me a broad comical smile and the thumbs up. That was the last thing I saw as we walked out of the casino in the warm night air.


	10. Chapter 10

**The ally wasn't what I expected. What I expected was your typical big city ally, complete with some old smelly dumpsters, a homeless person and the occasional mugger. But the ally we had just walked into was practically the extract opposite. The black asphalt was free of trash. It was free of people, homeless and criminal alike. A small wooden bench was placed by the door. The only thing that made it an ally rather than a narrow street was the small dumpster half way down the ally.**

**Remy kept his arm around me as we walked away from the casino. I expected Wade and Zero to be right behind us but the door remain closed. _Maybe Zero is still on the phone..._ I thought trying not to panic. I won't put it pass Wade to leave me alone to get Remy. He'd probably think it would be the most hilarious thing that ever happened. Either way I had to buy them some time. We were moving towards the end of the ally to quickly.**

**I looked up at Remy and was slightly unsettled when I saw that he was looking at me too. His eyes were so......enchanting. I couldn't stop staring into them. I hadn't even noticed that we had stopped walking. We'd only gotten ten feet from the door. Some how I mange to make a plan while I looked into Remy's eyes, which glowed like embers. If Zero and Wade didn't show up in five seconds, I'd do this alone. How? I hadn't figured that part out yet.**

**I counted in my head. _Five_. I suddenly became extremely aware that Remy's arm was no longer around my shoulders. Instead it was placed around my waist. _Four_. I exhaled slowly. _Three_. Remy pulled me gently towards him. _Two_. He leaned into kiss. Our lips never met, for at that moment the back door to the casino slammed open. The sound of it filled the empty ally way.**

**"What the hell?" Remy said as he turned around. Over his shoulder, the sight I saw caused the heavy burden of responsibly to be lifted off of my shoulders. I saw Wade and Zero, but I was slight confused by the expressions on their faces. Wade had slight look of frustration on his face while Zero looked clearly annoyed.**

**---------------------------------------------**

*Authors Note*

Sorry it's so short....or shorter compared to the others. I just really wanted to update. The next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one did.


	11. Chapter 11

**What Zero did next probably would have alarmed me if I hadn't known about it before hand. I won't have saw it if I wasn't expecting it. With unnatural speed, Zero pulled a gun out of his jacket and pulled the trigger. The black gun didn't contain bullets. Instead it had miniature tranquilizers. Even through they were small they had enough power to put a bear to sleep for an hour. But Remy wouldn't go down without a fight. With the unnatural ability normally displayed by Zero, he easily dodged the small silver capsules. Zero pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened. He pulled it a few more times and still nothing was where the plan became very abstract. We hadn't discussed a backup plan. The guys felt no need for it.**

**We all stood there for a second, just staring at each other. I then acted without thinking. I politely tapped Remy on the shoulder. He slowly turned his head around to look at me. Once he did, I pulled my fist back and punched him in the face. I felt something crack and the pain that quickly followed told me that it was my hand that had made the sound. I wasn't sure if my hand was supposed to fill like some had started a fire on it, for I had never punched somebody before. The last fight I was in, I was nine. I had kicked and pulled Stacy Davis' hair because she stole the toy I was playing with. I cradled my hand and cursed loudly.**

**Zero capitalized on Remy's momentary distraction. He quickly tackled Remy to the ground. They wrestled on the ground until Remy was able to kick Zero off of him. Zero flew though the air and into Wade. Both of them crumpled to the ground. Remy quickly got onto his feet. Only now he wasn't empty handed. He held in his hands a long metal staff. Normally the staff wouldn't look much, but with Remy holding it, it looked very intimating. Even more intimating was the new emotion in his eyes. The warmth had been replaced by burning rage.**

**I figured that he was just as dangerous without the staff than with the staff, so I didn't bother to remove it from his possession. At that moment, I wished I could have melted into the wall and disappeared. Remy never removed his glowing eyes from me as he waited for me attack him again. But then he became more concerned with the distance between us, or lack of. He was only three feet away. I could have easily reached out and touched him.**

**I was unprepared for what he did next. He took a quick step towards me and sung the staff around. It would have collide with the back of my knees if I hadn't grabbed it. I tightened my grip on it which caused a sharp pain to expand through my injured hand. But I didn't let go. I tried to pull the staff from Remy's hands but his hold was much stronger than I expected. I then heard an odd sound escape his lips. It sounded like laughter. I looked up at his face. Burning amongst the rage in his eyes was another emotion. Humor. He was laughing at my feeble attempts to disarm him. I then felt the metal staff growing warmer beneath my hands. I looked back down. The staff was glowering a bright reddish color. It continued to grow brighter and warmer.**

**I took me only half a second to process what he was doing. I looked back up. A wide smile was now plastered on his face. But this one was different from the ones he had showed earlier in the evening. This one held no warmth in it. It was more like a smile a thief would wear after stealing something very valuable. I quickly let go of the staff and back away. The staff immediately stopped glowing. His next attack caught me off guard. He sung the staff again, only this he aimed lower. It knocked my feet out from under me and I fell to the ground. Remy then started to swing the staff downward. The staff should have hit on the head and knocked me out but it stopped in mid air. I had apparently been able to create a force field between me and him. I'd only mange to create one once before. I was twelve and I almost got hit by a car. But it stopped about an inch from me. The driver thought it was his brakes that saved me but he didn't see the small dents that were left on the front of the car.**

**We both were stunned by my sudden display of power. Remy didn't even see Wade walk up behind him. Wade roughly put one arm around Remy's neck and force his head back. Then in one swift motion, Wade hit him in the chest with the tranquilizer from Zero's gun. Remy's eyes slowly closed as he fell to the ground. "Well, that was fun." Wade said, smiling his usual smile.**

**"What the hell took you so long!" I asked harshly as Wade helped me up. Zero walked over, still messing with the broken gun.**

**"Wade had an admirer that wouldn't leave him alone." Zero said bluntly.**

**"_Admirer_? That girl was a total stalker!" Wade said, serious. I couldn't help but laugh.**


	12. Chapter 12

**"Ow! Dammit, Wade. That hurts." I tired to pull my injured hand out of Wade's grip but he wouldn't let go. We were back in the SUV heading back to the hotel.**

**"Nice job, Muhammad Ali. You dislocated two of your fingers. This is gonna hurt a little." Wade started to pull my dislocated fingers, but I pulled my hand away.**

**"What are you gonna do?" I placed my hand out of Wade's immediate reach.**

**"I have to put yours fingers back in place or would you rather only have the use of eight. Now give me your damn hand. It won't hurt that much." Wade roughly grab my hand and pulled.**

**Another loud crack echoed though the car, quickly followed by me voice. "Son of a bitch." I removed my hand from Wade's grip, afraid that he would make the pain worse.**

**Wade smiled. "I lied. It'll hurt a lot." I just glared at him while I flexed my burning hand. It was three o'clock by the time we got back to the hotel. Even at that hour the hotel lobby was busy. The elevators were so crowd that we had to go up in two separate groups. I ended up being pushed into the corner with Wade. An elderly lady next me gave me a disapproving look. I knew she had saw my feet and the lack of shoe's on them. I had quickly removed my shoes once I was in the car. I had walked barefoot all the way through the lobby. I smiled kindly back at her.**

**When the elevators door opened on the fifth floor, I roughly pushed my way through. The fifth floor hallway was empty, as it should be. Stryker had rented the the entire floor. Wade and I were alone in the hallway. I started to head to my room, but I stopped when Wade put his arm causally around my shoulder. If felt different from when Remy did it. It fit. "What are you doing, Wade?" I asked in a low voice.**

**"Jesus, Lorna. Don't tell you never excepted this to happen between us? It's going to happen sooner or later. And I was thinking that we should do it while Stryker isn't around to interfere." Wade said slowly. Stryker was in Washington D.C., dealing with some military stiff that didn't interest me.**

**It was true. I was expecting Wade and I to have some sort of relationship together. As the extend of the relationship, I wasn't sure. As far as having a serious relationship with him, I doubted that I was ready. I wasn't the greatest person when it can to stuff like that. I'll admit that I was physically attractive to Wade. It wasn't that hard to be. "Just sex? No 'I love yous' or girlfriend boyfriend crap?" I asked bluntly.**

**Wade laughed quietly. "God, no. Just sex. I promise." To everyone else it probably would have sounded like the wrong promise to make.**

**I quickly turned around and pulled Wade with me. "If we're doing this, we're not doing it in my room."**


	13. Chapter 13

**I calmly picked up my jeans off the floor and put them on. I then picked up my shoes, which were thrown carelessly into the corner and slipped them on my feet. I looked down at Wade, who was still lying on the bed in nothing but his boxers. He was staring intently at the white ceiling. I was about turn around and head for the door when he spoke. "Lorna, I need to tell you something." I snapped my head around so fast I could almost hear it crack. That wasn't exactly what you want to hear someone say after you just slept with them. I remained quiet but I could feel my heart start to beat faster."I think....." Wade stopped as if he didn't know what to say. "I think I love you."**

**I was out door before Wade could even get up. I was half way to my room when Wade caught up with me. He was still in his boxers. "Dammit, Lorna. Wait!" I didn't stop walking so Wade grabbed my arm and turned me around. He quickly released my arm as if he remember I had a disease. "Why are you crying?"**

**"I'm crying because I'm pissed!" I yelled a little too loudly. I was sure to have awoken the other guys. I always cried when I was frustrated or angry. I couldn't avoid it. It just happens. I tried to walk away but Wade grabbed my arm again.**

**"Look, Lorna. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Wade said quickly.**

**"You didn't mean it? Didn't we talk about this before hand? If you didn't mean it then why did you say it, you jackass?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a door open for a second but then the person behind it quickly shut it back. I tugged at Wade's grip, which was unnecessary because he easily let go. I stood there, in front of Wade, hands on my hips, waiting on his answer. Wade opened his mouth to speak, but only to close it again when the words failed to come out. When it became clear that he had no answer, I turned around and walked the rest of the way to my room. Wade didn't try to stop. The last thing I saw before I slammed the door shut, was Wade standing in the middle of the hallway with nothing but his red boxers.**

**I locked the door and ran to the bathroom. I locked that door too before I turned the shower on. I wasn't sure how long I was in the shower. I washed my hair multiple times to remove the temporary blonde dye. Once I was sure all the dye was gone I got out of the shower. I took my time getting dressed. I put on a pair of black jeans that flared at the bottom and a simple purple shirt. I pushed my green hair pack into it's usual pony tail. I was just staring at myself in the mirror when there was a knock on the door.**

**"Um, Lorna?" Fred's uncomfortable voice said from the hallway. "We're heading for the airport....so....eh.." It was clear that the other had heard the argument between Wade and I.**

**I ran to the door and opened it quickly. "I'm ready." I said proudly with a large smile on my face.**

**"Um, okay." Fred said, confused.**


	14. Chapter 14

**The trip to the airport was quiet. No one said anything the entire ride. I looked out the window the whole time, just humming some senseless song to myself. It only took about twenty minutes to get to the Louis Armstrong International Airport on the out skits of New Orleans. The crowd inside wasn't bad considering it was the middle of summer. Light jazz music filled that almost empty terminal as we walked to our gate. The plane was ten minutes early on arriving, so there wasn't much of a wait.**

**Once I was on the plane, I sat in the middle section next to Fred and John. I stared at the back of the seat in front of me but I still saw something that I didn't care to know. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wade sit in the seat across the aisle two rows up. I closed my eyes during take off, hoping to let my lack of sleep take over. But either due to the turbulence or the large cup of coffee I consumed, I was unable to fall asleep. Boredom took over so I read the _In case of an Emergency_ brochure at least twenty times. The first time I read it, I laughed at the stupidity of of the drawing. After a while I found that my eyes constantly glanced up at Wade for a few seconds. Once time I saw him talking to a flight attendant. She was young with long flowing platinum blonde hair. I noticed that her blue skit was much shorter than the other flight attendants'. Wade must of said something funny because the woman's spurious filled the cabin. "Just ignore him." John said casually.**

**"Excuse me?" I said, not wanting to let him know that I had been looking at Wade.**

**"Wade. He knows you can see him. He's just trying to make you jealous. Just ignore him." John said.**

**"I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous?" I said too quickly. John just shrugged. And I wasn't jealous. Was I? Was it jealous that was making me loath the blonde flight attendant and her fake laugh? Instantly I felt insecure. But that feeling was quickly replaced with panic. I loved Wade. I loved him but I would never admit it. Not to him, not to God, not to anybody.I would kept my mouth shut and hope that all this was caused by my adolescence and inexperience with relationships.**

**The rest of the flight back to South Carolina was uneventful. But that was probably due to the fact that kept my eyes closed for the last hour. When I stepped off the plane I felt as through a heavy load had been lifted out of me. I exhaled slowly as I followed the guys out of the airport and into the car that would take us back to Fort Jackson. Wade appeared to be back to his normal self, so the trip was no longer silent. I could tell that the guys wished for the silence back.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I was the first out of the car when it came to a stop inside Fort Jackson. The bright sunlight blinded me so I put my black '80's style sunglasses on. They didn't help that much. Once we were all out of the car, a solider came run out of the building towards us. The man, or kid, looked to be only 18 years old. The camouflage uniform made all the soldiers look alike so I couldn't tell if I recognized him or not. He flashed an innocent smile in my direction but it was quickly replace with the emotionless slate that most soldier give when they're on duty. "Colonel Stryker would like to speak with immediately." The soldier said in a monotone voice.**

**"Now?" I said in disbelief. We just got back.**

**The soldier looked taken aback by my question but the look only lasted for a second. "Yes, ma'am. Now."**

**I instantly felt older. No one had ever called me 'ma'am' before. It was always 'kid' or just 'Lorna'. But never ma'am. I didn't like it. I followed the group to our normal meeting room. The one with the four concrete walls that made me feel like I was in prison. Stryker was waiting for us, wearing his usual army attire. I sat down in my usual chair. "Good job in New Orleans." Stryker said as he started to pass around another vanilla folder. Not again.**

**I flipped the folder open, uncertain for what I would see. The picture showed a a 17-year-old boy with hair the color of snow. _Pietro Maximoff, 17, Mount Wundagore in Transia, capable of moving and thinking at superhuman speeds._ Stryker said his little this-mutant-is-dangerous-speech, but I didn't listen to him. I just said at the picture of Pietro Maximoff. There was something so familiar about him. I've never seen him in my life but I recognized him some how.**

**"Where's _Transia_?" Wade said.**

**"It's a small country between Transylvania, Romania and Serbia." Zero said quickly,**

**"Why?" I asked, cutting out Wade smart ass remark.**

**"Why what, Dane?" Stryker said.**

**"Why are we arresting him? He hasn't done anything." The file said that that Pietro had no criminal background.**

**"He hasn't done anything yet." Stryker thought that answer would be enough. He was wrong.**

**"So we're arresting people for thing they haven't done yet? Think of all the things Victor could do if he put his mind to it. Why don't you arrest him?" I felt anger growing in my chest.**

**"That's enough, Dane. Either follow the order's you're given or leave." Stryker said threateningly.**

**"Okay, then." I stood up slowly. "I quit."**

**"You have no place to go, Lorna." Stryker said with an uncharacteristic smile on his face.**

**"What's the supposed to mean?" I said, confused.**

**"Your parents think you're dead." Stryker said calmly.**

**My mind went blank. I stared at him for a few seconds. _He was lying_. I thought. _He had to be_. "I'll figure something out." I said before I pulled the do tags out my neck and threw them on the table.**

**"You can't quit, Lorna." Wade pleaded, as I started to walk to the door. He stood up slowly.**

**"Watch me." That was the last I saw of Wade as I opened the door and walked out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I practically ran through the fort to the sleeping quarters. I threw my clothes into a large green duffel bag. I didn't take the time to fold the clothes, I just forced them into the bag. The task took longer than it normally would because my hands were shaking very violently. Once I was finished packing I put on a thin black jacket and walked out of the bunk house. With a calmer pace, I went to the car garage. Every vehicle in the fort was stored there. Everything from government owned Humvees to personal cars. The majority of the large garage was filled with military vehicles but there was a few regular cars. I found one that I liked. I was never into cars so I wasn't sure was kind of car it was. All I knew was that it was a black Cadillac and it looked fast. "Hey! You! I need the keys to this car." I said in a very demanding voice to a soldier, who was sitting by a wall that had a lot of key hanging on it.**

**The soldier looked at the car and them back at me. "But that's Colonel Stryker's car." He said as if I was joking.**

**_Of course it is._ I said to myself. "I know that. Now give me the keys, soldier." I said, trying my best to be authoritative. The soldier quickly handed me the key, but he had a very confused look on his face. I jumped into the driver's seat and turned the car on. It was clear from the inside that the car was very expensive. The windows were heavily tinted and the black leather interior made in very dark inside the car. I carefully maneuvered the car out out of the garage and up to the front gate. I guess they recognized the car because they opened the gate without questioning me.**

**After a few minutes of driving, I turned into a gas station to gather my thoughts. I decided that I would have to go to Boston to see if Stryker was telling the truth. What I would do after that would depend on what I found when I got there. I then searched the car. There was nothing in the backseat, so I looked in the console. Inside I found a Frank Sinatra CD, a couple hundred dollars, a VISA credit card, and a GPS system. When I opened the glove box, I quit breathing. Inside was a large handgun. I carefully picked up the shiny silver gun and examined it. It was a a loaded 50 caliber Desert Eagle. Also in the glove box was extra ammunition. I quickly replaced the gun and closed the glove box.**

**The car only had half a tank of gas so I decided to fill it up using the credit card. I figured that I would use it until Stryker canceled it. After I filled the car up, I went into the gas station to get something to eat. The last time I ate was almost two days ago. I grabbed a large bottle of water and a bag of chips. The old lady behind the counter gave me a dirty look as I paid for the food, which was probably a product of my green hair. As I reached the car, I noticed that a couple teenage boy were admiring it from the sidewalk. "Nice car." One yelled as I grabbed the door handle.**

**"Thanks." I yelled back with a smile on my face. Once I was in the car I programed the GPS for Boston, Massachusetts. Following it's direction I merged on to I-20.**


	17. Chapter 17

Fifteen hours and nine hundred and thirty miles later, I arrived in Boston. I had driven straight through, only stopping for gas and food. It was four o'clock in the afternoon and I was exhausted. I decided that I should get some sleep before I did anything else. When I pulled in the small run-down motel that was located just outside of Boston, I through it was closed. It should have been closed. The roof was in serious need of repair, for looked like it was about to collapse. The once blue paint was mostly chipped away. The sign was missing letters, so it now read **S ASID MOTE**. _Well, that's a stupid name._ I through to myself. _There's no sea around here for miles._

I parked the car and quickly jumped out. I cautiously walked into the front office. Sitting alone, reading a book was an old lady wearing a long, plain, blue dress. When I opened the door, the bell rang and she looked up from her book and gave me a small smile. "Can I help?" She said a weak but kind voice.

"I'd like a room for a week." I said with a smile.

The lady did some calculating before saying, "It'll cost 210 dollars, dear." I wasn't sure if that was expensive or not, but I handed her the blue credit card. She ran it through her outdated computer and handed me the receipt. "And I'll need you to sign the quest book." She point to a large black binder that was lying at the end of the counter. I flipped it open carefully so it wouldn't fall apart. I looked at the last entry. A Sam Guthrie had stayed for two days, having signed out this morning. I placed the pen to the paper and quickly wrote, _Marla Singer_. I wasn't sure why I put a fake name. I just did. The old lady handed me a sliver key and said, "It's room 6B. It's just down the sidewalk." I thanked her and walked out. But I didn't head down the sidewalk to room 6B. Instead I walked back to the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

I drove into Boston, using side streets to avoid the evening traffic. When I turned on to Huntington Avenue from Belvidere Street, I found what I was looking for. A twenty-something floor building reached into the sky, towering over the other nearby buildings. I saw valet workers standing out front, opening car doors for arriving quests. The Westin Copley Place Boston was the one of the best hotels in Boston, with it's free valet, 24 hour room service, and spa. I made sure sure the glove box was lock and I grabbed my bag, credit card and money before I handed the keys over to the overly-eager valet worker.

The lavish lobby was to be expected. It's high ceiling, brights lights and expensively tiled floor made me feel small. I silently walked up to front desk, where a young man stood looked bored. But when his eyes got me his began very energetic. "Can I help you?" I got the feeling that he wasn't just asking about a room.

"I need a room for a week, please." I said sweetly.

"Just for you?" He said with a wide smile on his face that displayed his perfectly white teeth.

"No. It's for me and my father, but he's at a business meeting right so he told to just go ahead and get a room." I said.

The man seemed disappointed, as he starter to type into his computer. "What kind of business is your dad in?" He asked, trying to make small talk.

"He works for General Dynamics. They supply the government with _military_ vehicles and airplanes and stuff like that." I said quickly, remember the Forbes magazine that listed them as one of the best companies.

"That's cool. It'll be one thousand three hundred and twenty three dollars." He said, not really listening anymore. I handed him the credit card. He scanned it and hand it back to me. He then passed me the receipt that I needed to sign. I signed it, _Marla Stryker_. He handed me a brochure and the key card. "Room 68, fourth floor. Have a good day."

Three minutes later, I was in my-too-big-of-a-room. I locked the door, kick my shoes off and crawled into one of the over-sized beds and fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**When I opened my eyes, I rolled over to look at the small clock, which glowed _5:48_. I had been asleep for over twelve hours. I got out of the large, well I more like fell out of bed. I was still half asleep when I opened the curtains to look out. The room overlooked the Charles River and the Boston Commons. It was hard to make out any details because the sun wasn't up yet. I left the window to pick up the large white binder that contained services the hotel provide. I ignored all the spa and pool junk and flipped straight to the room service menu. I looked it over for a few minutes before I called. "Westin Copley Place's room service. How may I help?" A woman's voice said in a professional manner.**

**"I'd like an order of chocolate chip pancakes, a couple biscuit, an orange and a cup of coffee, please." I was in dire need of real food. Over the pass two days, all I've eaten was processed junk food. Even back with the team the only thing we had to eat was high-protein stuff. That experience alone made me considered becoming a vegetarian. The woman said that it should be up within fifteen minutes. To pass the time, I read the rest of the guest book. Seventeen minutes and fifteen seconds later their was a soft knock at the door. I told the tired looking man to put it on my bill as I took my breakfast inside. I ate while flipping the channels on the television. _Five hundred channels and nothing is on_. I thought to myself before I settled on the Flintstones.**

**After I ate, I took a shower and got dressed. After stuffing a hat in m y back pocket and throwing my sunglasses on, I left the room and got the car from the valet. I went to the closest library, which was about ten blocks from the hotel. The small parking lot was empty expected for a couple cars. That was probably due the fact that it was nine o'clock in a Wednesday morning. I immediately went an open computer and sat down. I opened the Internet and went to the Boston Globe website. I clicked on the Obituaries section and scanned through the past month's deaths. I almost fell out of the chair when I saw my name. _Lorna Marie Dane, 16_ was placed between _Ruth Drake, 86_ and _William Johnson, 43_. I quickly clicked on my name and the article appeared on the screen. It was dated the May 31st, which was two days after school ended. The article was short and it didn't give much detail.**

_**Lorna Dane, 16, of Boston died yesterday of an apparent suicide. She is survived by her adoptive parent Richard and Katherine Dane. Lorna attended James Wood High School in Franklin Township. The funeral service will be help next Wednesday at Hansen Chapel, starting at noon.**_

**I felt a tear fall down my cheek as I finished reading the article. But the tear was out of anger again, not sadness. _Suicide? Why would I kill myself?_ Beside the article was my school picture. My first reaction was to drive back to Fort Jackson and kill Stryker with my bare hands. But that feeling quick subsided and confusion replaced it. How did I kill myself? Did they have a body? How were my parents dealing with his? Where was I buried? Now that I was dead, what would I do? I ran out of the library determined to finding the answer to all these questions.**

*Authors Note*

This chapter was a huge pain the arse to write for some reason. Sorry it took so long.

For some of the less comic book educated people out there, I do not own Lorna Dane or any of the characters in the story. Lorna Dane, a.k.a Polaris was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Jim Steranko in 1968. Lorna is the daughter of Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) and the half-sister of the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) and Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff).

------Madison Dyann------


	19. Chapter 19

**I drove through traffic like an insane person, only slowing down when I realized that I was in a stolen car. When I was a few blocks from my house parked the car in a restaurant's parking lot and got out of the car. I as I walked, I took the hat out of my pocket and put it on my head, tucking my green hair up in to it. As my house came into clearer view, I noticed that both my parents' vehicle weren't there. The house was located in South Boston on the corner of Tudor and Lily. South Boston wasn't the best neighborhood in America but it's quality had improved in the past few years. It was mostly known for it's large Irish background. There was an Irish bar on almost every street corner in South Boston._Dear Mom and Dad,_**

**Our house was a modest townhouse that had been originally built in 1890. When I was sure no one was watching, I walked quickly up to the front door. Using the spare key that had been placed under the old welcome mat I let myself into the house. My footsteps make an eerily noise against the dark hardwood floor, as I walked through the house. Everything was the same as I remembered it, except that it was extremely clean. Which was odd because my mother was never a big fan of house work. After grabbing a drink from the refrigerator, I walked upstairs to my room.**

**My room was a mess, which was how I left it. I, too, wasn't a big fan of cleaning. Random articles of clothing, both clean and dirt, lined the floor. The bed was unmade and posters of my favorite bands and celebrities lined most of the white wall. It was your typical teenager's room. But the amount of dust in the room told me that my mom and dad weren't big visitors to it. But there was something that didn't belong in the room. It was small but it was easily noticeable, which was due to the fact that it wasn't covered in inched of dust. A open white envelope laid on the desk on top of a large book. I pick it up, sat down on my bed and pulled the single piece of notebook paper out. The paper was bent and wrinkled, like some had constantly re-read and refolded it. When I unfolded it, I noticed that it was my handwriting staring back at me. It was my writing but not my words.**

**_Dear Mom and Dad,_**

_**By the time you read this it will be too late, for I have already jumped off the Boston Bridge into the Charles River. I have done this for my own reasons, which I will not burden you with. Nothing you could have said would have changed my decision. I didn't mean to cause you any pain by doing this and I hope you can forgive me.**_

_**Love, Lorna.**_

**I was in so much shock, I dropped the bottle of water I was holding and it poured on to the floor. "Shit." I picked up the bottle and dried the floor using a shirt that was lying near by. I read over the letter again and again, amazed at how cheesy it sounded._ Couldn't the government come up with anything better?_ I thought to myself. I put the letter back where I found and walked back downstairs. Now that I had answers to two of my questions, I searched the house looking for more.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I rifled through draws, looking for anything that would tell me anything. I tried not to make a mess, but I did so I had to double back around and clean up after myself. I found what I was looking for on top of my father's desk in his office. It was a bill from Granary Cemetery. Most of Granary was full of historic graves, like Paul Revere but there was still plots for sale. I remember going there on a field trip and wondering what kind of school takes children to a graveyard. I couldn't find anything that involved coffins or vaults so that told they didn't have a body. I placed the bill back on the desk and ran back upstairs.**

**After digging through my disheveled closet for a few minutes I found an old large backpack. I picked clothes up off the floor and placed them inside the bag. Every time I pick something up I would pull something out of my dresser and throw it on the ground. After getting as many clothes in the bag and making sure the floor looked the same, I gathered a few CDs and a book. I began foraging though the objects that were crammed under my bed. When I found what I was looking for, a small metal tin, I pulled the lid off and dumped the contents on the bed. Inside was my savings. Most of the money I got my birthdays, holidays and a lot of odd summer jobs, I had placed in the tin. I kept meaning to start a savings account but I never got around to it. I counted the money silently in my head. Six hundred and forty-three dollars and fifty-six cents. I left the change in the tin but I shoved the bills into my back pocket. After pushing the now empty tin under the bed, I walked out of my room for the last time. After taking one last trip through the house to make sure everything was the way I had found, I walked quickly out the front door, locked it and placed the key back under the mat. Once I was outside I replaced my hat and sunglasses.**

**The drive from South Boston to Granary Cemetery took 20 minutes. As I drove, rain began to collide with the windshield and it took awhile to figure out how to turn the wiper blades on. When I pulled into the seemly empty graveyard it started to rain harder, but I overlooked it as I parked the car and got out. I wondered around the row's of tombstone's, looking for the newest section. I walked pass my headstones a few times before I noticed it.**

**The headstone was made of a pale pink granite. It wasn't overly decorated like some of the other headstones. The only thing engraved on the polished rock was my name, birth and death day and an epitaph. The epitaph was only four words, but it fit flawlessly. As I read I felt warm tears start to roll down my cheek.** _Now Comes the Mystery_**. That short sentence summed up my entire future. My future was a complete puzzle to me. By law I didn't exist. Everyone believed me to be dead. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, looking at the headstone, feeling empty.**

**It felt like my entire life was stare back at me from that piece of rock. As the rain start to lighten up I new thought found its way into my head. I was dead. My life buried in this cemetery. Since I didn't exist, I could become anyone I wanted, regardless of what I was. My future was in my hands and mine alone. The thought made me empowered. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I walked back to the car, leaving my past where it should be. Behind me.**

*Author's Note*

I know I said I was taking a 'break'. Well, I lied. I only re-wrote the first four chapters before I got bored with it. So, I'm just going to update and re-write things at the same time.

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed. I now the story is kinda of slow now but it'll pick up in a few chapters.

Once again I own nothing. Not even Lorna or Sam Guthrie (the name from the guest book). Marvel owns them, not me. I only own the nameless characters.


	21. Chapter 21

Two Years Later

**"Lorna Austin! Stop talking." Mrs. Seymour yelled with her back to her AP Physics class.**

**"Sorry." I muttered quietly as I stared at the green chalk broad, only to turn back around a few seconds later to continue my conversation with Brittney. I now attended Furness High School in Philadelphia. After creating my new identity and forging emancipation documents, I moved there. I lived in a studio apartment in the Old City neighborhood. I worked two jobs and was a senior in high school. I was your typical teenager. On the outside at least.**

**It was hard at first, to start my new life. I blamed most of it on my limited funds. But after finding a job and an apartment, things fell into place. I liked the school and my fellow classmates. I even managed to make some friends. Life was back to the way it was before I joined the military, with two exceptions. My parents still believed me to be dead and my hair was its natural green. I refused to dye it. Brittney Meyers was my best friend and co-worker. She was a waiter at St. Elmo's, like me. St. Elmo's was an upscale restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. After gradation, Brittney and I planned on attending San Francisco State University. I intended on majoring in geophysics. But as most things in my life, things don't always go as planned.**

**When the last bell of the day rang, I said my goodbyes to Brittney and I promised to call her later. Little did I know, I would never make the call. As I neared the student parking lot, I got a bad feeling. I pushed it off as a symptom of my paranoia. But when I stepped off the sidewalk and looked up at my car, I realized that it wasn't my paranoia. Standing by my car was two very familiar faces. Two people I hadn't seen in over two years. Stryker looked the same as he did back them, only his face looked more annoyed than usual. Zero looked the same too; bored. Zero had two guns holstered to his side, which was probably why kids where giving him anxious looks.**

**I sighed heavily as I walked up to them. "Do you want your car back?" I asked, sarcastically. I still had Stryker's black Cadillac.**

**"No." Stryker said, un-amused. "You can keep my car."**

**"Good, cause I planned on it anyways." I said casually. "What are you doing here?" I asked in a more serious tone.**

**"Is there some where more private we could talk?" Stryker asked.**

**"I'm fine here, thanks." I said quickly.**

**"Since when did you come off so assertive?" Zero said in an annoyed voice.**

**I ignored him. "What do you want?"**

**"We need your help." Stryker admitted. "Victor's gone AWOL."**

**"And that involves me how?" I asked sarcastically.**

**"We believe he's killing off members of the old team." Zero said in his usual tone. "He's already killed Bradley."**

**My heart sunk a little on hearing the news. As much as I hated Victor, I wasn't going to risk the life I had worked so hard to build as a favor to Stryker. "I'm sure you can take care of him without me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to work."**


	22. Chapter 22

**"Austin! I need you to cover table 68." My boss yelled at me as I put brought an order in. Table 68 wasn't in my area but I didn't mention it. My boss's fuse was always much shorter on Friday evenings, so I walked to the table without question. When I saw who was sitting at the table, my fuse quickly dissolved all together. Zero was sitting in a booth, looking casually at his menu. I briskly walked over to him, careful not to run into any other customers.**

**"What in the hell are you doing here?" I hissed.**

**"Is that how you greet all your customers?" Zero said, not looking up from his menu. "It's nice to see you can finally walk in high heels now." The black three inch heels I had on was a requirement of the restaurant. The shoes were the only unfavorable thing about the job, but they were quickly over shadowed by the tips that rich people leave after they've consumed a few glasses of wine.**

**"I thought I told you to leave me alone?" I said in the quiet voice.**

**"No. I believe you said you had to go to work. There was no 'leave me alone' in there." Zero said casually.**

**"So what? You're going to stalk me for the rest of my life?"**

**"Stryker told me not to leave you alone until you agree to help us." Zero said in a annoyed voice. "How's the roasted duck?"**

**"Disgusting. Why should I help Stryker?"**

**"Don't think of it as helping Stryker, think of it.....as saving lives. Help us get Victor before he kills Fred or Wraith or someone else. I'll just have a streak, medium done."**

**"And to drink? If I say 'yes' will it just be Victor? No other bullshit?" I asked slowly.**

**"Just Victor. And Stryker promises to leave you alone afterwards. Just give me a beer."**

**I sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll do it. But if Stryker breaks his promise this time, I'm going to kill him. What do I do?"**

**"When do you get off work?" Zero's voice was more lively now.**

**"11."**

**"I'll pick you up at your apartment and take you to see Stryker. And you might want to bring a coat. Better get back to work. Your boss does look too happy right now." Zero said, handing me the menu.**

*****

**Zero knocked on my door at 11:20. We didn't talk as he drove towards the airport. Zero pulled onto a road and drove towards the private hangers. Waiting for us, was a small private plane. As I buckled my seat belt in the comfortable chair, I asked, "Where are we going?"**

**"Canada." Zero said with a smile on his face.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I wasn't sure how long the plane was in the air, for I had fallen asleep in the first hour, but when the plane landed dawn was on the horizon. I wrapped my tweed overcoat around me at walked off the plane. It wasn't cold enough to snow, but it was certainly much colder than Philadelphia. The plane had landed on a seemingly abandon runway. There was cracks in the concrete, which allowed grass to grow. Surrounding the landing strip, was a forest of evergreen trees. Waiting for us was a black car. _What is it with these people and black cars_?, I thought to myself as got into the car. Zero dove down the runway and then turned left onto a paved road. After a few minutes, he turned on to a gravel road. About a mile on to the road there was a break in the trees. The road was built on a small cliff that over looked a large lake.**

**My mind told me where we were at in longitude and latitude but that still didn't tell me much. "Where are we?" I asked as I continued to stare across the lake.**

**"Alkali Lake." When he saw my blank stare he went on. "Stryker has a base on the lake's edge a few miles down this road." He explained.**

**"So, why did Victor go all crazy, or crazier than usual, for? Or did he just get bored?" I asked.**

**"He said he felt that Stryker was holding him back. From what, I don't know. But he started to kill everyone we were sent to capture, so Stryker had him locked up. Victor escaped and now he's out to kill us all." Zero said it as if he was reciting a bed time story.**

**I didn't respond. Instead I allowed my mind to think about Bradley and how he didn't deserve to die. Even though we had barely spoke to each other, I liked him. My mind them drifted to the others. Were they still alive or was Victor killing one of them right now. If so, which one? John? Fred? Maybe Wade? My stomach twisted at the thought of Wade. Did Logan know that his brother was out killing people? All the questions were washed away when Stryker's new base came into view.**

**The base looked like a large warehouse. It looked out of place, surrounded by trees. Zero drove the car around to what I presumed was the back. The base was built into the side of the cliff, so I was sure some of it was underground. As he drove we passed helicopters and other military vehicles. He finally parked the car outside a large metal door, that was guarded by two men in uniforms. I recognized one guard as the man that had called me 'ma'am'. Only know his face was no longer soft or kind, it was hard and older looking. And he gave me no innocent smile this time. The other guard opened the door and I followed Zero into the base.**

**The hallway we were walking down was poorly light. Our foot steps echoed off the walls as Zero lead me though a mess of hallways. I tried to remember my way but everything looked so much alike. A few minutes later, we arrived at a door. Zero opened it and motioned for me to go in. "Stryker's in a meeting right now, so you'll have to wait a few minutes.**

*Author's Note*

Once again, I own nothing.


	24. Chapter 24

**Stryker's office was brighter than the hallways. His office looked like your typical office with exception to the large concrete walls. His desk was in the center with a few filing cabinets behind it. I calmly took a seat in one chair that was placed in front of the desk. Three minutes passed and I started to get anxious. I stood up and started to pace the length of the room. Another minute passed and still no Stryker. When I passed Stryker's desk I noticed two brown folders. I quickly looked away and walked to the corner farthest away from his desk. I managed to hold off for two minutes before the temptation took over.**

**Sat down at his desk and flipped the top folder open. I was greeted by a picture of me. The picture was recent because my hair was green. I scanned though the information. It had all the information about my new identity along with my old. There was nothing in it that shocked me so I shut it and turned my attention to the folder under it. This one was about Logan. After leaving us in Africa he moved to a small town in Alaska. The only that confused me about this folder were two words that were placed below his name. _Weapon X._ I flipped his folder closed and began searching Stryker's desk. I knew it was very irresponsible of me to be riffling through Stryker's desk when he could walk in at any moment but curiosity got the best of me.**

**There was nothing out of the ordinary in his desk. All the drawers were locked but with my mutation it was easy to open them. There was a gun and an extra round of bullets in the bottom draw. I didn't feel comfortable being in a room with Stryker when he had a gun, even through the it held no harm for me. I shoved the gun and ammo into the inside pocket of my coat. I then moved over to investigate the filing cabinets. I made through the top drawer of one cabinet but that was all I needed.**

**The cabinets were full of similar folders. I pulled one out at random and opened it. Another familiar face greeted me. John Wraith had apparently left the team and moved to Las Vegas. I wondered why he had left but the folder didn't say, so I replaced it pulled another one out. It didn't recognize the person in the second folder, nor did I recognize the third one. But they all were mutants and each folder contained numerous test result. After looking through a few more folders I came to the realization that captured mutants were being experimented on. My stomach did a somersault.**

**I heard sirens began to sound somewhere the distance. I risked pulling a sixth folder out. This one made my stomach do a full layout. Wade's comedic grin smiled back at me. Accompanying his smile was a red stamp that read Decreased. My first thought was Victor but the file said Wade Wilson had died of cancer. But I knew that Stryker had to have something to do with his death because next to his name, like Logan's, was the word _Weapon XI_. I surprised to feel a single tear roll down my cheek. But my mourning was cut short by the door opening and Stryker walking in flanked by three men in uniforms, who each were carrying guns. They all stopped in their tracks when they saw me with a file in my hands.**

**"Hasn't anyone ever told you that curiosity killed the cat, Lorna?" Stryker said, wiping the shock off his face.**

**"Yes, but I'm not a cat." I said calmly.**

**"I really don't want to have to kill you." Stryker said, remorsefully.**

**"And I really don't want to have to kill you but life isn't fair."**

**An amused smile can to his face. "Goodbye, Lorna Dane." He then marched out of the room, leaving me with the three armed soldiers. I calmly replaced Wade's file and closed the draw as the soldiers aimed their guns. Stryker didn't actually think that three regular soldiers could just kill me with guns, did he? If he really wanted to kill me he should have sent Zero. Even then I still manage to escape.**

**Time seemed to slow as the soldiers pulled their triggers. The three bullets stopped in mid-air before falling to the floor. Confused, the soldiers pulled the trigger again only this time I get let the gun fire. Then the three soldiers were pushed backwards into the concrete wall by a magnetic pulse from the outstretched hand. In the two years I lived on my own, I learned how to control my force fields and magnetic pulses. The soldiers crumpled to the ground as I ran out into the hallway.**

**It was empty and the sirens had stopped. I ran through the empty halls, trying to remember the way to the exit. Minutes passed as I raced around. The sirens began to sound again so I ran faster. A few minutes later, I finally made it to the door. Outside was just as empty as the halls. The two guards were gone, but the car I had come in was still there. After successfully hot wiring it, I speed away from Alkali Lake.**

*Author's Note*

School starts Wednesday so I'll be updating less often. Thank you to everyone who reads/reviews. And once I again, I own nothing.

------Madison Dyann------


	25. Chapter 25

**I didn't slow down until I reached William's Lake, a small town on the bank of the San Jose river about 50 miles north of Alkali Lake. From there I got on the main road and drove back south towards the border. I sped by border control breaking a crossing arm. I didn't care. I had seen enough of Canada to last me a life time. Once I was back in the States, I breathed a small sigh of relief. But I still didn't stop until I reached Seattle.**

**Hungry and exhausted, I got something in eat at a small diner on the east side of town. As I waited for my food, I stared out the window at the night sky and wondered about what to do next. It wasn't safe to go home, at least not yet. I had no relatives to seek sanctuary from. Each possibility I could think had a down side to it. But one possibility didn't, or at least its downside wasn't as bad as the others. I wasn't sure how far Las Vegas was from Seattle. 800 miles? 1000? Farther? I hadn't drove that far since my move from Boston to Philadelphia. And Las Vegas was a big city. What were the odds I would be able to locate John with nothing but his name? I pushed that question to the back of my mind as I payed for my meal.**

*****

**The actually distance between the two cities was 1160 miles. It was late in the day when I turned on to the Vegas Strip. I had driven through the night and morning. It took me a hour to find a pay phone with a phone book still intact. There was only one John Wraith in the book, set between a Warren Worthington and Regan Wyngarde. I ripped the page out of the large yellow book. Now that I had the address of a John Wraith, I just needed a map.**

**Finding a map wasn't difficult. People were handing them out all along the Strip. The map I brought for five buck folded out into a large square. The maps main focus was on the Strip but it did show the less popular streets, through it was almost impossible to read the microscopic print. I studied the map, ignoring the gold stars that represented hotel and purple dots that labeled the casinos. I finally found the street that John Wraith lived on. The street ran parallel to the Strip, but there were three streets that separated them. I folded the over priced map up and slipped it into my back pocket. I then turned the car back on and headed for Forbes Avenue.**

*****

**_195 N Forbes Ave_. I looked up from the torn paper to the number on the building, _195_. The building looked more like a warehouse than an actual home. The outside was a dreary cement color. A large window was placed on the right side of the metal door. Light shown through the window but the glass was frosted so it was impossible to see inside. I stood in front of door for a minute wondering if I should call first or if I should knock or just walk in. In the end I decided to for go calling and to just knock. I exhaled heavily as I hit the door calmly twice with my fist.**

*Author's Note*

I own nothing. Any character that has a name belongs to Marvel and their creaters. All I own is a piece of crap car and the words you just read. Thank you for reading/reviewing. :)

If anyone is wondering, I indeed did fail my Pre-Cal test. 55%(With 10% extra credit) But at least I didn't get the worset grade. Someone got 23%.

--------Madison Dyann --------


	26. Chapter 26

**A few seconds passed before the door opened. John Wraith stood in the doorway. The only greeting I managed to make was a smile before John embraced me in a tight hug. I was caught off guard. It took me a minute to return the hug. John's clothes didn't really fit with the local style. I was pretty sure leather boots, a pale tan western-style shirt with a cowboy hat wasn't normal dress for people living around Las Vegas. After a few seconds the embraced ended and the happy moment diminished when John asked in a stern voice, "What are you doing here, Lorna?"**

**I was about to explain when another voice interrupted. "Probably the same reason I am." I turned my head around to look behind me. Logan was standing in the still open doorway. He hadn't changed at all since I last saw him. He still had the same serious face that never seemed to disappear.**

**John looked from me to Logan and then back to me with a questioning look on his face. "Follow me." He said as he turned and walked away. As I walked behind him I looked around the building. It reminded me of my apartment, it was basically one large room but much larger than mine. It looked as through John used it was a gym. In the center of the room was a makeshift boxing ring. There was also some old retro paintings placed around the room. John lead us up to the office which was built so it overlooked the room below.**

**"So, what's up?" John said, leaning on the side of his small desk. I looked to Logan, singling for him to explain instead of me. Plus, I wasn't quite sure what was happening. Logan got the point and started talking. His story was almost the same as mine. Stryker and Zero's visit, refusing to help them the first time but in the end agreeing. But Logan's story had a something in it that I was grateful wasn't in mine. A visit from Victor. Victor had apparently killed Logan's girlfriend. I felt sorry for the man but at the same time I was happy that Victor had decided to visit him not me. The thought made me fell some what guilty.**

**Logan went on to say that Stryker had promised to give him the ability to kill Victor. But afterwords they betrayed him. I discovered that it was him that caused the sirens to go off at Alkali Lake. "Man, what'd they do to you?" John asked as him handed Logan a beer. Logan responded by making his hand into a fist. Three long silver blades sprouted from the area between his knuckles. John exhaled, "Shit."**

**"What happened to him after I left?" Logan asked, taking a drink from his beer.**

**"I don't know. I guess he felt as through you abandoned him. Hell, we all did. Wade was depressed for like a week after you left, Lorna. I left a few months later. Couldn't take roundin' them up." John stood up and set his beer down. My stomach made its usual twist at the mention of Wade.**

**"Rounding who up?" Logan asked. His voice was different, confused.**

**John clearly avoided the question. "Drop it, Logan." He looked extremely uncomfortable.**

**"Rounding who up, John?" Logan was getting angry.**

**"Mutants." I blurted out while I was staring at the floor.**

**"We were hunting our own kind, Logan." John practically yelled.**

**"Why?"**

**"Stryker never told us. He said 'we were doing good for the world'."**

**"Where did he take them after you caught them?" Logan asked, standing up.**

**"I don't know. But maybe Dukes does. He and Zero were real close." John said, exhaling.**

**"Fred. You know where Fred is?" I asked.**

**"Yea. But he developed a small eating problem. We all got our coping mechanisms, like Lorna's is grand theft auto and spending other peoples' money. So don't say anything about his weight."**

*Author's Note*

I own nothing. Marvel owns everything, as they should.

So this story is starting to come toa close. I'm not sure if I want to write a sequel to it or it that would just ruin it. What do you guys think?

That's for reading/reviewing.

-----Madison Dyann------


	27. Chapter 27

**A small eating problem was a major understatement. Fred Dukes was so big I barley recognized him. "Come on, Fred. It you wanna get in shape who gotta move!. I told him he got to move." John said, as we watched Fred punch a man so hard he flew out of the boxing ring. I was slightly disturbed by the change in Fred's appearance. My distress was probably due the fact that Fred looked like he hadn't bathed in a few days, or weeks.**

**"Fred Dukes? That looks like the creature that ate Fred Dukes." Logan whispered. I felt bad for laughing at his off-color joke.**

**"If you want him to help don't mention his weight." John pleaded.**

**Logan walked forward towards Fred, who was now taking a drink from a slushy. "Hey, fat - Fred. I seem to remember that girl when she was 85 pounds."**

**The larger version of Fred looked down at the tattoo on his arm of the girl. "Oh that's funny. You're still so funny, Logan." He said sarcastically.**

**"Do you know where Victor is?" Logan said, cutting him off.**

**"No idea." Fred said quickly.**

**"Where did Stryker take the captured mutants?" Logan asked.**

**"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Logan." Fred said, taking another drink from his red slushy. Logan stepped up onto the edge of the ring, holding onto the elastic strings for balance. Logan then said something that I couldn't hear from my position by John. What ever it was, it upset Fred. "Did you just call me 'blob'?" And before Logan could answer he was sent flying backwards towards us. He hit the wall and crumpled to the floor.**

**John phased over to Logan while I ran. "I told not to mention his weight. Why did you call him 'blob'?" John said, even though he didn't look very concerned, for Fred's mental well-being or Logan's physical.**

**"I didn't call him blob. I said 'bub'. Goddammit." Logan started to pull his jacket off as he stood up.**

**"Hey, hey. I got an idea." John said.**

**Three minutes later Logan was in the boxing ring. Fred was in one corner and Logan was in another. I was against the boxing match. It seemed like a major waste of time, but I wasn't about to voice my opinions. As John handed him a pair of gloves Logan said, "This is your idea of an idea?"**

**"I'm trying to help you out. Dukes doesn't like you that much." John explained.**

**"Yea, the feeling's mutual."**

**"Just dance with him a little. Allow him to take his anger out on you. If you do that, he'll probably tell you everything you wanna know." John said.**

**"Yea, if you survives." I said quietly as John hit the bell. Logan turned around to face Fred, but was instantly punched in the face.**

**"Fred's not the one I'm worried about." John laughed. Logan swung at Fred and hit him in the stomach. If it hurt, Fred didn't show it. Logan continued to hit him in the stomach but Fred appeared not to be effected by it. Fred started to swing his arm; he connected to Logan's face the first time. After a few more swings, Fred grabbed Logan by the shoulders and head-butted him. A weird ringing echoed though the room. Fred stumbled backwards a few steps. "Damn!" John said in disbelief. Logan then leaped up into the air and brought his elbow down on top of Fred's head. A few seconds later Fred collapsed to the ground, causing the ring to bend of his weight.**

**"Now, where's Victor?" Logan said, looming over Fred. I stood up on the edge of the ring, looking down at Fred's face.**

**"Vic- Victor's, er, with Stryker on the island. They run it together." Fred said lazily.**

**"Wait a minute. Victor's with Stryker?" I asked from my place above Fred.**

**He looked up at me, "Yea. You didn't know that?" Clearly upset, Logan started to circle the edge of the ring.**

**A waited a few seconds before I felt if was safe to ask another question. "What's the island?"**

**"It's where Stryker takes them after Victor's caught 'em."**

**"Takes who?" Logan asked before I could.**

**"Mutants. Rumor is Stryker's doing experiments on them. You mean you never wondered what happened to them?" Fred said to a guilty looking John.**

**"I tried not to." Was his only answer.**

**"They killed her so I'd let them put Adamantium in me. They killed her for a goddamn experiment." Logan said in a distressful voice. Angry, Logan roughly grabbed Fred by the shirt and said, "Where is it? Where's the island?"**

**"Logan, Stryker kept is real secret." Fred cautiously. "But a prisoner escaped there once. His name was Remy LeBeau. He's a street gambler from New Orleans. The guards at the prison called him 'Gambit' because he kept taking their money at poker. That's all I know." He practically said the whole thing in one breath.**

**"What's the end game? What's Stryker planning?" John asked.**

**"He's taking their powers. Trying to combined them some how. That's all I know, Logan." Fred breathed.**

**"If I have to come back here, I'm taking your head off." Logan threaten. Logan jumped out of the ring and headed for the door. John followed him.**

**"I'm coming too. Wait up." Both of them gave me skeptical look but neither of them said anything.**


	28. Chapter 28

**It took us about 20 minutes to decide how to get there. In the end we settled on John's and Logan's motorcycles. I decided to ride with John because I wasn't sure how much experience Logan had with a bike. Sleep-deprived, I headed towards New Orleans with Logan and John. The whole plan gave me deja vu; going to New Orleans to find Remy LeBeau. Except this time I felt more anxious, more frighten. Part of me, about 49 percent, didn't want to reach the end of this road. I just wanted to crawl back to my bed in Philadelphia and sleep.**

**But I was able to do half of that. About an hour into the trip I fell asleep on the back of the motorcycle. I woke up a few times but the lack of significant landscaping made it impossible for me to tell where we were. A few minutes later, I would fall back asleep. Bright lights and loud music woke me up for a final time. It would have taken my longer to figure out where I was it I didn't see the large sign that said _Bourbon Street_. I exhaled heavily.**

**The New Orleans streets were full of people, as they usually were on a Saturday night. Logan and John parked their bikes outside a very familiar building. It took me a few seconds to realize that I had been there before, two years ago with the team. As I stood up, I felt some of my joints pop. My body felt like it had been crammed into a too small of a box. My muscles were aching.**

**A sense of dread filled my stomach as I followed John and Logan pass the doorman into the casino. The inside was the same as it had been two years earlier. The same dark wood paneling with red walls. Same crowded bar. And the same arrangement of game tables. It even had the same amount of cigarette smoke in the air. "So where's this Remy LeBeau?" Logan asked, looking at the crowd of people before him.**

**I scanned the room. He wasn't that hard to find. I found him sitting at a poker table, shuffling cards. He hadn't change much since I last saw him. "That's him." I pointed to Remy as he did a weird trick with the stack of cards.**

**"Okay. I'm going to go cover the back in case he rabbits." John said.**

**"I'm not going to fight with him." Logan replied. I gave a short laugh. "What? I get in fights with everybody?"**

**"Don't dogs chase cats?" John said before he headed towards the back.**

**After John was out the door, Logan turned to me and asked, "So what are you gonna do?"**

**I thought about it for a minute. There wasn't really anyway I could help either of them but I didn't want to face Remy. "I guess I'll go with John." I said before I to headed for the back door. I had only gone about ten feet when a man blocked my path. He was young, maybe 22. His blonde hair was messy but in the 'it's suppose to be this way' messy. His eyes were an unnatural blue color. There were light blue but they looked transparent. There was a large smile on his face. "Eh, hello?" I said, confused.**

**The smile widened. "Hello. I'm Bobby Drake." He said as he offered me his hand. Still unsure, I shook his hand and told him my name. "Can I get you a drink?"**

**"Eh, sure. I just have to go to the restroom." I said before I stepped around him and headed in the direction of the restrooms. When I was out of his view, I changed directions and darted to the back door.**

*Author's Note*

I still don't have a new computer, I'm doing all this on the library's computer. I should get a new computer next weekend. Thanks for reading/reviewing. I own nothing.

---------------Madison Dyann-------------


	29. Chapter 29

**I skidded to a haul when I saw the scene that was laid out in front of me. The ally was the same as I remembered it except for a group of tin trash cans that were placed by the door. Another new addition was Victor standing over John's dead body. Victor looked very much the same but some how he was more frightening now. Maybe it was the murderous look on his face or maybe it was simply the long intimating black coat he was wearing.**

**Victor had seen me with I came barging out the door, so running away without being noticed wasn't an option. He didn't say anything as he moved towards me. In response to each step Victor took towards me, I took a step back. I had barely gone three feet when I walked into the wall. My eyes flicked to John's lifeless body and then to Victor, who less than a foot away from me with a smile on his face. It made me feel small; him standing over me. I continued to push myself against the brick wall, hoping to become invisible.**

**I was so consumed with fear that I didn't even react when Victor put his hand on throat. "Say 'hello' to Wade for me." Victor said in a menacingly. Then my air was cut off and my feet were no longer touching the ground. I started to panic. I pulled and scratched at Victor's hand but that only caused him to squeeze harder. The lack of oxygen to my brain caused me not to be able to think straight. I could only focus on the pain in the throat and my screaming lungs. _So this is how I die?_ I thought to myself as my vision started to turn black. I heard a noise that sounded like an explosion but I wasn't sure. My vision now almost completely engulfed in blackness and I could hear my heart beating in my ears.**

**Then just when I was about to lose consciousness, Victor loosened is grip and I fell to the ground. I landed on my side and I immediately started gasping for air. The sudden rush of oxygen to my lungs caused me to cough a few times. When I rolled onto my back I finally became aware of what was happening around me. Victor had disappeared but I still wasn't alone in the ally. Logan must of said or did something because him and Remy were in the mist of a fight. With a headache, I quickly got to me feet intent on ending their fight.**

**But Logan beat me to it. He had managed to disarm Remy of his staff and get him pinned against the wall. I walked over to them, while avoid the large amount of debris that now filled the alleyway. Logan released Remy when I finally reached them. Both looked exhausted but seemingly unharmed. "You okay, kid?" Logan asked, looking at me with uncertainty.**

**"I'm feel fantastic." I said sarcastically. My throat hurt and each time I inhaled my lungs burned.**

**"Do I know you?" Remy said, turning his head towards me and looking me up and down. Recognition swipe across his face a few seconds later. "You!" He said accusingly.**

**"Hi." I said quietly, trying to look as innocent as possible.**


	30. Chapter 30

**I few hours later I found myself sitting in the back of a pontoon plane. I was amazed that the plane was able to stay in the air; it looked rather old and unsafe. The plane shook violently each time it hit an air pocket. When I looked out the small window, I only thing I could see was a sky full of clouds. My powers told me that we had probably just entered Pennsylvania. Being so near home made me more homesick. The plane shook violently again."You don't like flying, do ya?" Remy said with a bit of laughter from the pilot seat.**

**"I'm fine. Just concentrate on what you're doing." Logan said from the seat next to him with annoyance.**

**"You sure? You got some sweat on your brow there." Remy laughed.**

**"Very funny. Keep your eyes on the - " Logan started.**

**"On what? The clouds?" Remy asked.**

**"Logan, calm down." I said feeling slightly lightheaded. Both of them turned around and gave me critical looks.**

**"Where'd get this thing anyway?" Logan asked, still uncomfortable.**

**"I won her in a game. Jacks over fives." Remy said proudly.**

**"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked. I doubted that Stryker would have his base in the middle of Pennsylvania. And I had never heard of an island any where in Pennsylvania. The small plane was starting to make me feel claustrophobic.**

**"Relax, doll. We're almost there." Remy said, not bothering to look at me. I exhaled heavily. I figured all the anxiety was starting to have an effect on me because being called 'doll' upset me more than it usually would. But I didn't say anything. A minute later Remy said, "There it is. The island. Three Mile Island. Hiding in plain site. No ones going to snoop around a nuclear reactor. They think it's going to turn them into freaks."**

**"Like you." I said quietly, but Remy still heard it. Remy turned around and flashed me a large perfect smile. I turned away to look out the Mile Island was in the Susquehanna River just south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Though the clouds the only thing I could make out were the two larger cooling towers and some smaller buildings scattered though out the island.**

**I was still staring out the window when Logan opened the door to the plane. Wind engulfed the cabin and my already disheveled hair blew into my face. I started to get up to join him when he shot me a hard glare. "You're staying here, kid." Logan said harshly.**

**"The hell I'm not!" I said loudly.**

**"This isn't your fight. I shouldn't have let you come in the first place. You're staying here." Logan said, ending the discussion. There were a thousand reasons I thought of for me to go with him but I kept my mouth shut. I sat back down, admitting defeat. Logan stared down at the river for a seconds, breathing deeply, then he jumped. I quickly shut the door back as Remy started to turn the plane away from the island.**

**I jumped into the seat next to Remy and said, "Fly over the island." My voice was very demanding.**

**"Uh, listen doll - " Remy started to say.**

**"I'm not a porcelain doll, you chauvinist worm!" I yelled.**

**It took Remy about I second to process what I said. "Pig. Chauvinist pig." He corrected me, over a small laugh.**

**"Worm, buster. I like pigs." I said, fighting my own laughter. "Now fly over the damn island." Remy turned the plane back to the island as I opened the door back up. He slowed as the plane entered the sky above the island.**

**When I was about to jump I heard Remy say, "Hey, Lorna." I took my eyes off the moving ground hundreds of feet below me and looked at Remy. His face was serious; almost worried. "Don't die, okay?" My response was a small smile before I jumped out of the plane, into the air.**

*Author's Note*

Chapter 30! Woot woot! Only a few more chapters left. I own nothing. I will never own anything as long as Disney keeps buying crap for billions of dollars.

-------Madison Dyann-------


	31. Chapter 31

**At first, I fell towards the ground with enormous speed, which only seemed to grow as the seconds passed. My hair blew in all direction and my stomach felt as through it was in my throat. The distance between me and the ground was shrinking much faster than what I was prepared for. It took me a few seconds to focus enough to manipulate the magnetic field to allow me to stop falling. I hung suspended three hundred feet in the air for a few seconds before I slowly started to lower myself.**

**I landed on the roof of the largest building. I scanned the roof. The only structure on the roof was a small storage building and an air duct the size of a large tire. But no door leading off the roof. Through there was a ladder placed on the side, but that didn't help me. I carefully pulled the top off of the air duct and peered inside. The metal shaft was straight for about ten feet before it took a left turn. It was small, but since I was small too, I was sure I could fit. I lowered myself into the shaft, landing with a small bang.**

**The metal creaked and bent a little as I moved through the air duct. The air inside the shaft was thin and filled with dust particles and small pieces of lint. The more I moved along the more dust that gathered on my hands and knees. I wasn't sure I was at or where I was going. I just took random turns in hope of reaching a place I could safely get out. As I took a left turn, I saw a vent in the floor of the shaft. Light shown through from the room below and I could hear voices. I slowly crawled my way to the vent and peered down into the room below.**

**I was looking down on a gray concrete floor. The only thing I could see was what appeared to be a surgery table with a body on it. A plain white blanket covered the body. A person stepped up beside the bed and I was now looking down William Stryker.**

**A voice drifted up through the vent, up to me. I couldn't see the speaker, but I recognized Logan's voice. "...But you're the trickster, aren't you? I'm just the fool that got played." The metal beneath me creaked, blocking out part of this sentence. "...but for the last time." I heard footsteps and a door being pushed open. The shaft made another unsettling sound. Stryker walked back out of my view; towards the top of the surgery table. The room went quiet.**

**I lay there, in the air duct, thinking of what I should do next. Suddenly, a woman's scream filled the air. The sound seemed to vibrate out the metal walls and echo for eternity. I rushed to pull the vent cover off, causing me to fumble with it. When I finally got it off, I poked my head through the opening and peered into the room. My eyes ignored all the unimportant details of the room and focused on the people in the room.**

**I saw Victor, wearing his usual long black coat, choking a girl. She lifted about two feet the ground. My throat seemed to tighten and burn as I looked at the scene. The metal shafted bending and creaking caused me to take my eyes off the violent act in front of me. The metal was bending from my weight. It was obvious to me that the shaft wouldn't hold my weight much longer.**

**In my attempt to crawl safely and quietly of the air duct, I ended falling out, hitting a metal medical tray, and landing loudly on my side. My head bounced quickly off the concrete floor and my vision blurred for a second. The pain in my head was so strong I didn't notice the scalpel hanging from my arm until I saw the blood. I quickly pulled the small knife of my arm which was now covered in blood.**

**I slowly got to my feet, rubbing the side of my head. There was some blood caked in my hair but I wasn't sure if it was from my arm or head. I started to walk, but after only three steps I had to lean on an empty hospital bed for support. My head felt as through someone was sawing it open with a dull blade. The heard a voice enter my head, but it took a minute comprehend was it was saying. "Nice entrance, Lorna." My brain told me it was Victor's voice but I still wasn't sure. Through my vision was still a little blurry I saw Victor let go of the woman and then Logan pushing him through a glass wall.**

*Author's Note*

Sorry it took so long. I was a little busier that usual. I think there might be two more chapters left in the story. Thanks for reading/reviewing.

---------Madison Dyann--------


	32. Chapter 32

**It all happened so fast. I didn't even hear the glass shatter as Logan and Victor fell through it. I cradled my head in hands praying for my hearing to return. For about thirty seconds all I could hear was a constant ringing. When the ringing stopped, I could hear the blood pulsing through my head. Only then did I take my eyes off the ground and look up.**

**Behind was a series of what I assumed were doctors. All of them were dressed in white coats and they were operating on the body that was placed on the hospital bed. In front of me was Stryker, also wearing a white coat, and the women, who was now looking down form the broken window in the floor below. Stryker's voice entered my ear and my head gave a scream of pain, "You should have left this alone, Lorna. You shouldn't have come here." I didn't respond. I wasn't sure if I could respond. My whole body seemed foreign to me.**

**Stryker continued to talk. "Lorna, I would like you to look behind you and meet Weapon XI." A spark went off in my mind at the sound of Weapon XI. It sound familiar but I couldn't remember. My body instantly felt weak from the lack of adenerdline. I wasn't sure how long I had been up or what day it was. Everything seemed to run together in a giant puzzle of events that I couldn't piece together. "I call him Deadpool. For the past five years, long before I created the team, I've been gathering mutants' power; studying them. I've hoped of combing them into one powerful mutant. And after five long years of searching. After many blunders and obstacles, I have finally created the ultimate mutant killer."**

**I just stared at him as my mind's ability to process what he was saying increased to its normal rate. "You see, Lorna. There two species are on the verge of war. We have been for some time now. It's only a matter of time before the war goes public. And I'm going to bring the war to you before you can bring it to us. I'll end the war before it even starts. All with one generically engineered mutant: Deadpool." Stryker said proudly.**

**"Why me?" My voice was rough and quiet. He could have fulfilled his doomsday plan with me. "Why me?" I repeated.**

**The smile that had been plastered on Stryker's face during his speech, faded a little. But not much. "At first, I regretted my decision to recruit you. You were much too young to handle the mental and physical pressure of being a soldier. But your powers seemed to be so unique, I ignored all that in hope that farther training would allow your powers to grow and expand. To say the least, I was disappointed. After a while it become clear that your powers were fully mutated and you held in no surprises in your abilities. That was until Zero brought something to my attention after your trip to New Orleans."**

**"He said how while you were trying to seduce Mr. LeBeau, you consumed a lot of alcohol. And you showed no signs of intoxication. After studying the blood samples taken from you when you first joined the team, we noticed an irregularity between your blood and other members' blood. Your blood contained a different type of white blood cell. Stronger than the normal ones. More effective. Your white blood cells attacked and destroyed any foreign material that entered the blood. Everything from alcohol to poisons to HIV was destroyed with in seconds of being in the blood. And no traces of the materials were found in the blood. So, it would appear that your blood is immune to any disease and foreign substances that are placed in your body. Unfortunately, all of your sampled blood was used up during testing. But thanks to your little fall, we have no problems."**

**I looked down at my arm, it was covered in blood and the cut was still slowly bleeding. A small pool of blood had gathered at the base of my feet. I normally would have been alarmed by the amount of blood but there seemed to be more important things to worry about. My head hurt from both my fall and Stryker's long speech. I looked back towards him and the smile was brighter than ever. Every thing Stryker said made sense. My unknown mutation explained why I never got sick as a child. Why no amount of pain medication had any effect on my migraines.**

**The whole situation was too much. It's not a good feeling discovering that other people knew more about yourself than you do. It makes you question everything you thought you knew about yourself. It makes you unsure of yourself. All that and Stryker's frightening grin pushed me over the edge. I darted out the door that was behind me. Once I was in the empty stairwell, I puked. My stomach twisted as I emptied it on the concrete floor.**

*Author's Note*

I'm kinda sad that the story is coming to a close. It I planned this out right there will be one more chapter. Thanks for reading/reviewing. :)

---------Madison Dyann--------


	33. Chapter 33

**After catching my breath, which didn't take as long as I excepted it to, I ran down the narrow concrete stairs where I saw Logan and the woman talking. The woman still had a look of anxiousness on her face but other than that she seemed relatively at ease. Logan was the first to notice me as I stumbled my way towards them. "What the hell happened to you?" Logan said as he looked at my blood drenched clothes. I was certain I looked horrible; probably like a person trying to survive a horror movie and failing.**

**"Don't ask." I said simply.**

**Logan looked as through he was going to ask again and demand an answer but he was cut short when the woman said, "Logan, my sister." Her voice was pleading and almost apologetic. Logan gave her a soft nod before we followed him into a tunnel shaped room. Our footsteps echoed eerily off the concrete floor and red brick walls as we ran into a room full of prison cells. Each cell had a mutant, many of them young, locked inside. All were dressed in the same bland red jumpsuits. Each cell had a small electrical lock on the front. Before I could offer my help, Logan unleashed his claws and started down the row. His claws cut through the metal locks like they were water and the cells doors swung open. Each time Logan's claw collided with a lock a spray of orange sparks flew into the air before burning out.**

**The woman quickly followed him into the row of cells but stop half way through. She was hugging a one of the prisoners; a blond girl that was probably a few years older than me. I followed the flow of newly released prisoners towards the end of the row. "Hey, girlie! You wanna help me out here." The voice came from the cell to my right. The owner was a kid, maybe about a year or two older than me, with blonde, almost pure white, hair. He was hanging about a foot from the floor in a complicated looking white harness. Another wave of familiarity ran over me as I looked into his bright blue eyes. "Hello! Is there anybody in there?" The kid said with an implacable European accent.**

**I ignored his comments as I unbuckled the straps on the harness with a quick wave of my bloody hand. Just as soon as he hit the ground he right back on his feet. Then he was standing next me outside his cell. He patted me on the head before saying, "Thanks, cutie." A soft wind blew my hair into different directions are he magically appeared by the exit where the rest of the prisoners where gathered. I shook my head as ran down the row to join them. I pushed my way though the small crowed too I saw Logan at the front of the group. I stayed but his sides as we lead the others out of the cell block. We then entered a much larger room; one with a large metal sliding door that lead outside. The door was slowly starting to slide open as we walk towards it. Logan and I stopped as daylight showed through the opening in the door. As the door continued to open a figure started to walk through the growing space between the two door panels.**

**A man dressed in nothing but dark red pajama pants walked slowly though the doors and into the room. His skin was a sickly pale color and light reflected off his shaved head. His chest was outlined in black surgical marker. His face was deformed; the skin around his eyes looked like it had been pulled back and he had no mouth. Instead there was just clean pale skin. He was only when I looked at his face that I realized who it was. Wade Wilson was no longer his funny sarcastic self. He appeared to be just an empty shell.**

**"Wade? Is that you?" Logan said calmly. Wade didn't respond, not that he could. He just kept the same blank expression as he continued to walk towards us. He stopped about a hundred feet from us. Sensing danger Logan said, "Kayla, get the kids out of here. Find another way out." The woman gave a quick nod before ordering the others to follow her. They turned around and went back the way we came. Logan and I were now alone with the zombie-like Wade. "Lorna, there's a computer in his brain that Stryker implanted. See if you can shut it down." Logan said quietly, giving me a serious look.**

**"You want me to do brain surgery?" I said in shock. Logan just gave me a look. "Okay. Just remember: You asked." Now that I focused, I could sense metal in Wade's body but not just his brain. Adamantium lined his entire skeleton much like Logan's. When I reached his head I could sense small electrical devices placed in his brain but before I could disarm them my own head was engulfed in pain. I feel to one knee as I put my hands around my head. It felt as though a thousand burning knives where being pushed into my head. I thought my head was going into explode. But just as fast as it came it disappeared leaving only a soft arching feeling. Still on the ground I whispered, "Bad idea."**

**"Go help the others." Logan said calmly. I was happy to oblige. I wasn't sure what I would do if I had to fight Wade. I doubt I would have been able to do it, even through it wasn't really Wade, just his body. I turned and ran back into the cell block, looking for the others. I took a left and opened the closest door, which lead into a long tunnel like hallway. It was probably just a service hallway because it appeared to be unfinished with all the exposed wires and poor lighting. Water dripped slowly from a hole in the ceiling forming a puddle on the dirty floor. I followed the dark corridor until it forked off into two different directions; left and right. Each path looked the same; long and gloomy. After staring down each hallway I went right without much thought.**

*Author's Note*

Sorry about the long wait which probably would have been shorter if I hadn't been so lazy. I felt kind of guilty so I just went ahead and published what I've written so far. I'm writing the rest right now so it should be up pretty soon. Hopefully.

--------Madison Dyann--------


	34. Chapter 34

**The hallway ended in a storage closet. I kicked the light metal door in frustration. The rusted hinges creaked loudly before the door broke loose and fell to the ground. I leaned against the concrete wall to catch my breath. I ran the entire half of the hallway, which had to be about a quarter of a mile. The thought of going all the way back wasn't very welcoming. My current breaths came as short raspy gasps. My throat itched each time I inhaled.**

**After I caught my breath I started back down the hallway. I tried to run faster but my legs refused to act. I jogged pass the still empty hallway and instead of turning left I went straight. It was just a hallway; no storage room or anything, just solid concrete walls lined with pipes and electrical wires. The hallway started to angle slightly upwards the farther I went. Then I saw light a few meters ahead. I heard something else too; voices and footsteps. I forced my legs to move faster. The bright morning sunlight blinded when I walked of the long hallway into a small clearing.**

**In the clearing were the escaped prisoners and a massive black helicopter. It wasn't a military aircraft for it had no identification name or number painted on the side. The children were climbing into the passenger bay one by one. My mind started to wonder about who brought the helicopter when an unfamiliar voice echoed in my head. "Hello, Lorna." Brain damage was the first thing that came to me. The amount of bleeding my head had endured must have been causing it to hallucinate. But the kind voice was too clear and unfamiliar to be a figment of my imagination. I did what most therapist advise you not to do; I acknowledged the voice in my head "Uh, hello." I thought to myself; feeling completely idiotic.**

**"You're not crazy, Lorna. I'm telepathic. My name is Charles Xavier." The voice was smooth and full of experience. I still doubted my sanity through. "Are you sure I'm not insane?" I asked the strange voice again. The voice of Charles Xavier gave a soft chuckle before saying, "No, Lorna. You are perfectly sane. Just look in front of you." I took my eyes off the almost loaded helicopter and scanned the rest of the clearing. I didn't have to fall from the helicopter through. Walking towards me with a causal stroll was a man dressed in a neat but simple blue suit. The closer he got the more details I could make out. He looked to be in his early fifties and his head looked as through he was born without hair for the lack of hair look neither shaven nor natural. He had a smile that also looked like he was born with it and his skin had a slight pale tone to it. He held his hand I cautiously shook it.**

**"Uh, hi." I said; unsure of how to continue the conversation. He didn't seem too concerned with my lack of talking. "I run a school in upstate New York. It's a school for people like you; for mutants. It's a safe place for young people like us. I not only offer an education but always training to help you learn how to control your abilities better. My school is open to any mutant who wants to attend." I hated myself for it but his speech reminded me of the one I heard two years. And frankly I was tired of all the special treatment. I just wanted to have normal life. I wanted to graduate from a regular high school and attend a public college. I didn't want to be separated from society just because some people might have problem with what I was.**

**"I'm sorry, Mr. Xavier, but I don't think right now it the perfect for me to go through any dramatic changes right now. I'm already stressed out as it is because of all the near death experiences I've been through in the past two days. So thanks but no thanks." I tired to explain myself in the more sincere way possible but I doubted that it came out that way. It if did, Xavier didn't seem offended in the least. "I understand. It's a standing invitation so if you change you mind our doors open. I wish you luck." And with that he turned and headed back to the helicopter. I then turned to head back into the gloomy tunnel.**

**But as I turned I ran into something solid; another person. I jumped in fright and pushed myself away from the body. My heart still didn't return to its natural rhythm when I saw who it was. "God dammit, Remy! You scared me half to death." Remy smiled through there was still a hint of worry in his eyes. "It's nice to know I have that effect on you. Where are the kids?" He asked looking at the helicopter that was just now taking off. "They'll be fine. Now let's find Logan and get the hell out of here." I said with relief settling in my stomach now that I didn't have to finish this by myself. "I do believe that is the smartest thing I've heard you say."He said as we entered the tunnel together.**

**We backed tracked through the hallway and cell block until we passed through the large sliding doors and out of the building. The island looked different in the morning light than it did that night. Large pieces of concrete and warped pieces of steel covered the ground. A dense cloud of tan dust still lingered low in the air. "What the hell happened out here?" I asked to no one in particular. "I think Logan happened. We should split up. I'll go this way." And with that Remy took off running to the right. I wasn't happy around being left alone again but this way we would find Logan faster. I hoped at least as I went left. The side of the island Remy assigned to me was bare except for a small shed on the edge of the water. It was empty excepted for a few shoves, a toolbox and two fishing poles. I stared at the poles in amazement. Who would want to fish on the shore of a nuclear reactor? I wondered if they ever caught anything and if they did was it deformed. I thought about that for five minutes before I realized that I was wasting time**

**I looked around the shed before turning around and going in search of Remy and hopefully Logan. But of course it was only Remy who I saw running in my direction through the dust. He didn't slow down as he grabbed my arm and pulled me with him. "Where's Logan?" I asked struggling to keep up with him. "He said he'll find his own way off the island. He was very firm about it too." I was concerned but Logan's demand didn't surprise me that much. He seemed to be a very independent person. I followed Remy as we crossed a maintenance bridge off the island. I could hear sirens coming from the east. At the end of the bridge, on the other side, was a small parking lot. It was empty except for a worn down truck and a newer looking blue BMW. I opened the passenger down, which was unlocked and jumped in the BMW as Remy did the same except on the driver's side. The inside was sleek and still had a hint of new-car-smell. Everything looked to be in great condition except for the ignition, which was pulled apart to expose the multicolored wires.**

**"Nice car. Where'd you get it?" I asked holding back a smile. "I borrowed it." Remy said, messing with the knot of wires. A second later the engine roared to life and Remy pealed out the parking lot causing the tires to squeal and leave burn marks on the asphalt. I pulled on my seat belt as we crossed another bridge and turned onto a main road. We drove west; away from the sirens. When I looked into the rear view mirror I saw a pillar of light smoke flowing into the air. When we were ten miles away, and the smoke was just a speck in the distance, Remy slowed the car to a legal speed. Only then did I lean comfortably back in the cushioned seat. My head pounded softly and my entire body ached but my arm more than anything else.**

**"So….Where do you wanna go?" Remy said casually through he was trying to hide his uncertainty of what to do next. I remained silent pretending to think about it. But the truth was I knew exactly where I wanted to go. The place I shouldn't have left in the first place. Home. My home in Boston with parents, who I hoped had gotten over my death. I could go back. But I didn't want to put my parents through that emotion rollercoaster again. Not when it was unnecessary. I would have to settle for the next best thing; my home in Philadelphia. The place where people knew me as Lorna Austin not Lorna Dane. It was good enough, for now at least. "You could take me home." I said as if it was the only option I could think of. Remy seemed fine with the idea. "Which way?"**

**Two hours later Remy parked the stolen BMW in front of my apartment building, but he didn't turn the car off. "You might wanna go to the hospital, Lorna. You look like crap." Remy said boldly. I let a soft laugh escape me. "You sure do know how to charm a girl." I joked. He smiled broadly. "It was nice seeing you again. It was even nicer not having you punch me in the face." A small ball of guilt settled in my stomach. "Sorry about that." I muttered. "It's okay…….Good luck." He said holding out his hand. I shook his hand through I was surprised that his hand was so much bigger than mine. "Yea, you too." And with one last smile I opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. I didn't look back as Remy drove away.**

**My apartment looked the same as when I left it. I avoided going near the bed. I knew that if I sat down I would never get back up. I pulled my grimy and bloody clothes off as I made my way to the bathroom. My coat fell to the ground with a loud thump. Only then did I remember that I still had Stryker's gun in my coat pocket. I made a mental note to get rid of it as soon as possible. I turned the shower on; turning the water's temperature all the way up. I spent about an hour in the shower continually washing the dried blood out of my hair and wondering if I should take Remy's advice and go to the hospital and thinking of an excuse to tell Brittney and my other friends to explain my absence.**

**_The End_**

*Author's Note*

Thanks for reading! And I'm still debating if I should write a sequel or not. If I do it would be about Lorna's time in college and her meeting Alex Summers (Havok). Should I write it or not?


	35. Author's Note!

*Author's Note*

I know I'm supposed to do this so I'll delete it in a few days but I just wanted to give you guys a head up.

I've posted the five chapters of the sequel to Know Your Enemy, **Life After Death**. And I should be posting chapters on a regular bases now since I have the plot worked out.

This story is going to follow the comics more than movies; Lorna's relationship with Alex Summers and her realization about her family.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Thanks!

-Madison Dyann-


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